Getty Former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill at the NFL Pro Bowl in 2023.
The Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl champions for the second time in four seasons, but the victory didn’t come without controversy.
As the clock flashed zeros, many took to social media to complain about the holding call on Philadelphia Eagles cornerback James Bradberry that ultimately allowed the Chiefs to run the clock down to eight seconds and kick the game-winning field goal. Among the seemingly annoyed observers was former KC superstar Tyreek Hill, who upset fans with a cryptic tweet.
It read: “I need to get referee on my podcast somethings need to be cleared.”
I need to get referee on my podcast somethings need to be cleared
Before long, Hill was under fire from Chiefs Kingdom for his comment, which quickly went viral with over 2,600 likes and 290,000 views (and counting).
Chiefs Kingdom Responds to Tyreek Hill After the Super Bowl
At least one Chiefs fans interpreted the tweet as jealousy from Hill, who made waves after his move to Miami in March 2022.
“@Cheetah has hurt feeling the Chiefs have not missed a beat without him,” one fan challenged. “@Cheetah chose to catch passes and gain yard not win Superbowls!!”
Another tweeted that the officials were inconsistent, benefitting neither the Chiefs nor Eagles. “Like how was that not a fumble and recovery by [Nick] Bolton?” one person tweeted in reference to the third-quarter play in which the Chiefs’ Bolton picked up a drop pass by Miles Sanders and ran to the end zone. “Or how can Eagles OL move around and not get set before the snap and not get a flag? Or how the Eagles get a 3 second grace period for delay of game?”
“Remember it was the refs,” one fan tweeted sarcastically, “not that we scored on every drive in the second half, not that we had the longest punt return in nfl Super Bowl history, not that they gave [Travis] Kelce damn near 100 yards of offense, but the refs. It was the refs.”
“Someone’s salty he will not be putting another ring on his finger for the rest of his career,” a replied to Hill’s tweet, and another tweeted: “Tyreek can’t unrun this L.”
Earlier in the evening, Hill did praise former teammates Patrick Mahomes II and Kelce, calling them the “greatest duo of all time.”
Boy 15 and 87 has to be the greatest duo of all time !! Love watching it
He appeared to be rooting for the Chiefs throughout the night as well, tweeting out statements such as “nobody answering the phone, but all first half they had my number” when Philadelphia was winning, and “I need somebody to get open besides 87 [Kelce] !!!”
It’s unclear what Hill meant by his referee remark.
Eagles’ James Bradberry Admits to Holding; Carl Cheffers Redeems Himself
The game-changing holding call against Bradberry was whistled by an officiating crew led by Carl Cheffers, whom Chiefs Kingdom has felt haunted by over the years — even though the Chiefs have a winning record in Cheffers’ games — according to USA Today.
Cheffers, an NFL official since 2000, stood by the holding flag after the game, however, telling The Ringer’s Lindsay Jones that the penalty on Bradberry was “a clear case of a jersey grab that caused restriction” for wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Ref Carl Cheffers on the defensive holding call on James Bradberry: “A clear case of a jersey grab that caused restriction.”
Cheffers explained: “The receiver went to the inside and he was attempting to release to the outside. The defender grabbed the jersey with his right hand and restricted him from releasing to the outside. So, therefore, we called defensive holding.”
He also confirmed that “there was no debate” among his crew when making the call.
After the game, Bradberry told reporters that “it was a hold,” in his opinion, and acknowledged that he “was hoping [Cheffers] would let it go.”
James Bradberry owns up to the holding penalty.
He stood at his locker for a long while and answered every question about it.