This season, the internet’s favorite conspiracy theory has been all about the referees and their so-called ‘soft spot’ for the Chiefs. Yes, the talk of refs tilting the field for Kansas City has been louder than ever. Especially with the Chiefs chasing the three-peat. From questionable calls to some head-scratching no-calls, fans, especially those rooting for rival teams, have been quick to whip up memes, and theories. And not-so-gentle rants about the league allegedly rolling out the red carpet for Patrick Mahomes and company. After the divisional round win, where a few calls didn’t sit right with fans, the chatter has reached a fever pitch.

Patrick Mahomes has come forward to address the buzz, sharing his thoughts on the whole ‘refs helping the Chiefs‘ theory. Speaking to media for the first time after the divisional game, the QB said, “I don’t feel that way I mean I just try to play football at the end of the day. The referees are doing their best to call the game fair and as proper as they possibly can.” Sunday’s divisional game against the Texans stirred up plenty of drama. Houston’s DE Will Anderson Jr. didn’t hold back, saying, “We knew it was going to be us versus the refs going into this game.” No sugarcoating there, he called it as he saw it.

Anderson got flagged for unnecessary roughness after what seemed like a harmless push to Mahomes’ chest. That penalty ended up extending the Chiefs’ drive, and they capitalized with a field goal. People didn’t waste any time, joking that refs might even call in the cops to protect ‘favorite Mahomes.’ And yeah, this isn’t the first time either. Anytime people see refs missing a call, they’re quick to say, ‘If it were Mahomes, they’d have sent in the special forces by now.’

The whole refs debate might never end, but Mahomes wasn’t having it. The QB came forward and gave props to the refs. And backed up the NFL officiating.

Patrick Mahomes shuts down referee theories

So, is this the price you pay for your continuous success? Accusations are thrown at you day and night, getting trolled, and reduced to meme material. Well, that’s the internet for you. And people forming conspiracy theories is nothing new. It’s been around forever. If we started believing them, people would probably still be saying that Elvis is still grooving today. Anyway, let’s not get into history there. The Chiefs QB has shut down these theories. “For me, it’s to go out there play hard try to do whatever I can to win the football game. And then live with the results based on my effort and the way that we played the game…that’s what we preach here in Kansas City,” said Mahomes. 

Not only that, he also extended his support to the refs and NFL officiating amid all the trolling and questioning. Addressing whether the QB feels that he is given special protection by the officials, Patrick said, “I haven’t felt any different. You get new referees every year, you get new circumstances. And you never can tell because every play is different that’s what makes the NFL so special.” But people aren’t going to back down just because he said so.

So we guess Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs will just have to make peace with this. There is nothing you can do about it. You cannot stop people from sharing their opinions on social media. People are gonna say what they’re gonna say.