“NFL Got Too Cheap”: Aaron Rodgers Weighs In on Controversial Officiating During Lions vs. Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys and the Detroit Lions game has to be one of the most controversial games of this season. In the fleeting moments of the game, the Lions’ offensive tackle, Taylor Decker, switched roles and caught a TD pass in the end zone without informing the referees. This became a problem for the Lions as they incurred multiple penalties, and the TD was null and void. Brad Allen was the referee who made the decision, and most people think the Lions got robbed of a victory.

The game raised many questions about the state of officiating in the NFL. While the Cowboys rejoiced in their victory, Dan Campbell bore the brunt of the final play. The NFL’s play-calling appears to be in serious jeopardy, and Aaron Rodgers shared his insights on ‘The Pat McAfee Show,’ discussing the debacle in detail. According to him, the NFL’s reluctance to invest more money has led to uncompetitive refereeing.

Aaron Rodgers gives his take on the wild Cowboys vs. Lions ending

On the show, Rodgers and the hosts discussed the scenario, and one of the hosts wanted to know the Jets’ veteran’s opinion on the whole thing. The QB, known for being vocal, had no time to waste and started criticizing the NFL for not paying the referees what they owe them. If we think about it, the quality of services will decline if the employees are not well compensated.

“When the NFL got too cheap to pay their referees what they’re due and hired a bunch of people that didn’t deserve to be on a high school field. They couldn’t even ref my JC games,” said Rodgers, shedding light on the situation.

He added, “There’s been a lot of talk about the play and I think everybody wants a little bit of accountability for sure.” Rodgers felt that the people in the NFL should start taking more accountability and that he didn’t understand the point of three players going to the referee. He gave another example of horrendous officiating in the same game when Dallas had the ball, and Pollard rushed for about six yards, and he was ruled for tripping when it was the Lions who should have been penalized.

Fans and the NFL community often let go of simple blunders. However, whether or not the last call was an error, it hampered the chances of the Lions making it to the playoffs.

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Let’s take a look at what happened that day.

A recap of what happened in the last leg of the game

Tom Pelissero of the NFL network shared a video on X that breaks down the necessary steps in case personnel roles change. The video is captioned, “The NFL sent a memo to clubs today regarding players reporting as eligible, including this video featuring the #Cowboys-#Lions game …” and talks about the correct way of announcing the eligibility as the receiver.

Per the refs, the Lions No. 68 failed to do so. If there is a change in the roles, the eligible player has to inform the referee, the defensive player, and the people in the stadium. However, many now think it was a failure on the Lions’ part, and they should have announced the position change beforehand.

What do you think about this game? Let us know your take on the call.

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