Andy Reid, the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, and Patrick Mahomes, the quarterback are now both less wealthy after criticizing the officiating in their Week 14 defeat to the Buffalo Bills.
ESPN reports that the NFL fined Reid $100 for violating “long-standing league regulations prohibiting public criticism against game officials.”
Mahomes received a fine of $50,000 for his criticisms of officials and his “unsportsmanlike behavior during the fourth quarter Sunday’s game with Buffalo.”
The fines are a result of the Chiefs’ wide receiver Kadarius Toney being penalized for an offensive offside. This negated a score that would have been the winner late in the 4th quarter.
Mahomes appeared to be yelling at an official as he was angry after Kansas City had turned over the ball on downs. His teammates held him back.
Mahomes complained to Bills quarterback Josh Allen after the game about the call.
Mahomes, when speaking to reporters following the loss, explained why he was so upset.
It’s hard to swallow. You want the players on the field to decide the game, not just me or football in general. They’re human. They are human. “But every week we talk about something,” said he.
“It is the call.” Just at that moment. Not for me. A flag changes the result of a game. I have never heard of offensive offsides being called. They will warn you if it happens. The entire game was not warned. Did you make that call at the last minute? We’re discussing the referees in another game. We don’t want the NFL. “It’s not football that we want.”
Reid was angry that he did not receive a warning regarding Toney’s placement of his foot.
He said, “Normally I get a notice before something like this happens.” It was embarrassing for the National Football League to have that happen. “I didn’t use a protractor, but it was a little embarrassing.”
Mahomes retracted a little bit in the following week, stating that he regretted his reaction.
Mahomes stated in an interview with 610 Sports “You don’t want to ever react like that. I care, man. I love the game and my teammates. I’m going to give it my all to win.”
“But obviously, you can’t act that way towards officials or anyone else in life. So, I probably regret doing that. “But, most of all, I regret how I treated Josh after the match because he was not involved in it.”
Kansas City, which has now lost two consecutive games, travels to Foxborough on Sunday to face the New England Patriots.