While rumors of the NFL referees’ firing and bribery investigation prevail in 2025, the higher officials have blasted all the theories and controversies, preserving the NFLRA’s integrity and fairness.
The NFL controversy in 2025 has caught new heights after growing news of referee bias allegations and corruption.
Though the news of the NFL suspending referees turned out to be bogus, the situation remains controversial.
The debate began after apparent favors to the Kansas City Chiefs began floating around the internet.
Chiefs found themselves in the controversy following their win over the Bills in the AFC championship game.
People believed that Kansas’ win included more than players’ and coaches’ work. Many thought officials were favoring them.
Despite everything, details about NFL bribery and investigation also appear as another rumor with no roots.
However, the talks about the Chiefs’ bias in games reached a high level, and the NFL referees union had to clear the air.
The NFLRA blasted the baseless theories. Dean Blandino spoke about how he had been in charge of the NFL referees for years, and nothing had happened within.
NFLRA Referees Former Incharge Dean Blandino Debunks The Chiefs Bias Controversy, No Investigation Launched!
The controversy and conspiracies reached a new boiling point in 2025 after the Chiefs won the AFC Championship.
Chiefs and the fans played their third straight Super Bowl win the AFC Championship win over the Bills.
In that game, the Buffalo Bills were indeed missing something, and the Chiefs took the advantage and won.
A critical fourth-quarter referee decision ruled Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen inches short of a first down.
The decision changed the game’s outcome, potentially causing controversy and public rage.
It added a perception about the NFL favoring Kansas City in high-stakes moments.
However, fans and some officials already had someone to blame, the referees. They consistently claimed that the NFL referees rigged the NFL for the Chiefs.
A former NFL referee boss from 2013 to 2017 discussed the conspiracy with TMZ.
Dean Blandino stated,
“If there’s a room somewhere in the NFL offices where they were writing the script, they never invited me – and I was the head of officiating.”
The Chiefs clinched the AFC title and reached the Super Bowl, but their season ended disappointingly. The Eagles won Super Bowl LIX 40-22 over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Some internet pundits have even claimed to have figured out the refs’ patterns in penalty statistics.
They believe that Chiefs opponents are more penalized in the key moments of the games. Despite the controversy, the NFL has categorically denied any biases.
While cross-checking the penalizing point, it was discovered that the Chiefs had been penalized for 120 more yards than their opponents.
Further, even the rumors of bribery and investigation began shortly after the referees’ bias to Kansas.
Commissioner Roger Goodell dismissed the allegations as “ridiculous.” An NFLRA spokesperson called the accusations “insulting and preposterous.“
NFLPA Launches Investigation Against MLBPA Amid Corruption Allegations
Though there are no bribery investigations within the NFL in 2025, the NFLPA has initiated an internal investigation.
Checking if they were related to any extent, it was found that the investigation was for the OneTeam Partners.
The NFL Players Association, alongside MLB Players Association and RedBird Capital, established a joint venture in 2019.
NFLPA prompted the investigation after allegations of corruption in MLBPA’s dealings with OneTeam.
An undisclosed whistleblower filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board, prompting an investigation.
The personnel filing the case complaints on MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark. S/He claims that Tony and other officials are involved in self-dealing.
In response to the allegation, the NFLPA issued a “litigation hold” letter on December 19, 2024.
They asked the association to preserve all the documents related to OneTeam, allowing them to check for corruption.
The NFL has not published any results from the investigation yet. It has no links to the rumors of NFL referees’ bribery and investigation.
Additional Information
- NFL referees earns an everage of $205k with some earning even $250k during the regular season.
- There are seven NFL official referees on the field during every game.
- Curretnly, there are 121 officials currently working in the NFL.
