10 Times It Was 'All the Refs' Fault'
Jimbo Fisher called the officiating in Florida State's October loss to Clemson "cowardly, gutless and wrong," per Jared Shanker of ESPN.com.
Did the Seminoles lose that game because of poor officiating? Probably not. (It's worth noting Fisher also did not make that claim.)
Still, he had no problem complaining about officials, which seems to be a running theme in sports right now.
In early November, Terence Moore of Sports on Earth wrote:
"Everything we do now in officiating is a lot more visible than before, so that's a big difference. And the [bashing of refs and umps] is certainly more prevalent now than it has been in recent memory. What's disturbing is, you would think in reading the stuff I've been reading that, geez, referees and umpires themselves overall are a lot worse.
"
Today, let's give refs a break with this sarcasm-laced collection of times it was "all the refs' fault."
Of course, none of the following sports people actually said, "It's all the refs fault," but a related implication was at least present in their respective comments.
Officials aren't perfect, just as athletes, coaches and executives are not perfect. Let's give it a rest on them, eh?
Carmelo Anthony and Tony Brothers
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In early November, New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony was ejected in a game against the Boston Celtics. Anthony was called for a personal foul in the second quarter but picked up two technicals after an argument with referee Tony Brothers—thus, the early boot from the game.
Later, Anthony said, per Michael Singer of USA Today, "I always feel like it's something [with Brothers]. I don't want to say it's personal, but I always feel like it's something."
Brothers denied any personal vendetta against Anthony, per Singer, but Anthony's wife also tweeted, "He hates Mel. It's personal. Always has."
Anthony later added, "One, I don't feel I said anything on getting a tech, and two—getting ejected. There's nothing for me to say to him. It ain't personal with me from my end. He's a ref. I play. I'll keep my mouth shut next time."
NFL Broadcasters on Ratings
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The NFL's television ratings have struggled in 2016 but did show signs of improvement in Weeks 10 and 11.
Before said improvement, however, at least two broadcasters commented on officiating as a possible contributing factor to the ratings drop.
For example, ESPN's Sean McDonough offered an opinion during a Monday Night Football broadcast in October.
He said, per Brett Bodner of the New York Daily News, "If we're looking for reasons why TV ratings for the NFL are down all over the place, this doesn't help. The way this game has been officiated is not something anybody wants to watch," McDonough said.
A month later on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown, former NFL wide receiver Randy Moss expressed his disagreement with part-time officials and said, "You know, ratings are dropping very fast in this National Football League, but why, each and every week, are we talking about the officiating?" per James Dator of SB Nation.
Sean Payton on Part-Time Refs
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New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton also expressed his opinion about the part-time status of NFL referees.
During an appearance on Pro Football Talk Live, Payton said (via Christopher Dabe of NOLA.com), "There aren't many Mondays that go by where there aren't at least 28 to 30 head coaches that are ticked off, and ticked off about certain calls that were missed or weren't made. You see it all the time."
He used his own team's Week 1 loss to the Oakland Raiders as an example and elaborated on his opinion that NFL officials should be employed on a full-time basis.
He said, "But by and large, every other sports league employs full-time officials. In ours, these guys have other significant jobs. I just think it's very difficult to do with the speed of the game."
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Jose Mourinho and the Pressure on Referees
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Ahead of a 0-0 draw with Liverpool in October, Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho spoke specifically about referee Anthony Taylor.
It seemed a bit like a preemptive bit of ref-blaming, actually.
Per the Guardian, Mourinho said:
"I think Mr Taylor is a very good referee but because such pressure is being put on him I think it will be difficult for him to have a very good performance at Anfield. I don't really want to say too much more on the matter. I have my view but I have learned a lesson, if you want to call it that, by being punished so many times for my words about referees.
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The Football Association charged Mourinho with misconduct for his comments. And two weeks later, he was sent off during a 0-0 draw with Burnley for comments he made to referee Mark Clattenburg.
Richard Sherman Suggests Bias
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The Seattle Seahawks lost a close game to the New Orleans Saints, 25-20, in Week 8. Officiating played a key role in the outcome, and per Seahawks coach Pete Carroll (via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times), the NFL later admitted to three mistakes on calls that went against Seattle.
Per ESPN.com's Sheil Kapadia, Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman said, "We probably lead the league in NFL apologies the next day. 'Oh, that was a pick route. That was a pick route. It should have been called. It should have been called. Yeah, it might have cost you the game, but so what?' It's too late now.'"
Asked if he believes his statements about referees could contribute to calls on the field, Sherman said, per Kapadia, "I don't know. Maybe. Perhaps. I don't know. Cheating is cheating. So if there is bias, then it's quite the deal, quite petty."
Interesting that Sherman got away with a blatant unnecessary roughness penalty the very next week.
Jose Bautista and the 'Circumstances'
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The Toronto Blue Jays lost the American League Championship Series to the Cleveland Indians, 4-1.
According to former Jays slugger Jose Bautista, there were "circumstances" that contributed to that defeat.
After a Game 1 loss, Bautista said, per Mike Vorkunov (via Jesse Spector of Sporting News), "All you gotta do is look at the video and count how many times [Cleveland pitchers] throw pitches over the heart of the plate. They've been able to do that because of the circumstances—that I'm not trying to talk about because I can't. That's for you guys to do, but you guys don't really want to talk about that either."
Mike Axisa of CBS Sports wrote, "We aren't stupid. Bautista is talking about the home plate umpires. He and his teammates have been complaining about called strikes all series."
Were "circumstances" responsible for the Blue Jays team batting average of .201 in the series or Indians reliever Andrew Miller's 0.00 ERA in 7.2 innings pitched?
Josh Norman Says No. 88 'Sucked'
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The Cincinnati Bengals and Washington played to one of the NFL's two ties in 2016 in Week 8.
Per Martin Rogers of USA Today, Washington cornerback Josh Norman "singled out" official Brad Freeman after the 27-27 draw in London.
In his postgame news conference, Norman said, per Rogers, "Who is 88? I just got to know. Who is official 88? He sucked. Just got to be honest with you. I'm going to be straightforward. He was terrible and I feel he like should be reprimanded. I feel like some of the plays that was going on out there ... it was terrible."
Norman was flagged for illegal hands to the face four times and pass interference once.
He added, "Come on man, everybody is watching. This is how I feel and how the team feels. I am speaking on their behalf here and now. The [officials] reprimand us, where is the reprimand for them?"
The NFL eventually fined Norman $25,000 for his comments.
Mark Hughes Suggests Bias
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In September, Stoke City boss Mark Hughes was sent off during an 0-4 loss to Tottenham for stepping out of the technical area.
Certainly the referees were not the reason for such a drubbing, but Hughes did accuse officials of a bias against his side.
He told British media (via Reuters), "They seem to be vigilant and more of a stickler for the rules when Stoke City are involved. The people who need to know how I feel have been told already, this season and in previous seasons."
Former referee Keith Hackett actually came to Hughes' defense, telling the Ref Show (via Rich Sharpe of the Stoke Sentinel) he felt Hughes should have received a warning. He said, "The guy has got a job to do, his team are not playing well, they are in a difficult position, let's have a bit of humanity here."
Steve Kerr and the 'Blooper Reel'
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The Golden State Warriors beat the Toronto Raptors, 127-121, in mid-November. Still, Warriors coach Steve Kerr was not happy about the officiating.
Kerr told KNBR 680 (via Comcast SportsNet Bay Area):
"How is it that everybody on Earth can see these traveling violations except for the three people that we pay to do the job? I don't get it. It's bizarre. It's a point of emphasis on one particular play and that's when you catch and go ... it's just the one that the officials are taught to see.
But I can literally put together a blooper reel of plays that are embarrassing travels that are just not called. I believe it's a case of they have so many things to look at -- they are looking at defensive three seconds, the contact in the lane when people are cutting through the lane, they're looking at the charge and block circle -- they're looking at everything except what they should be looking at which is the basic rule of the game, which is traveling.
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Back in March, Kerr kidded that he forgot traveling was allowed. "Silly me. I forgot that they got rid of that rule," per James Herbert of CBS Sports.
Kerr was fined $25,000 for his most recent criticisms.
Jimbo Fisher and a 'Cowardly' Call
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In October, Florida State lost to Clemson, 37-34. During the fourth quarter, the Seminoles were flagged for blocking below the waist and a long run was called back.
After the game, FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher said, per Jared Shanker of ESPN.com, "It was ridiculous. It was not a chop, it was a not chop. I will tell you what: You hold coaches accountable, you hold players accountable, hold the damn officials accountable. It is garbage, and then to call another penalty on the sideline is even more garbage. It's cowardly, gutless and wrong."
The play in question was important, but there were also more than 10 minutes remaining in the game at the time of the flag, so not exactly a 2012 "Fail Mary" situation.
To the surprise of no one, the ACC fined Fisher for the comments, to the tune of $20,000.
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