In the wake of the New York Jets heartbreaking 23-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night, star cornerback Sauce Gardner took to social media to express his frustration with his controversial holding penalty.
The late call gave the Chiefs an automatic first down that basically ended the game.
If not for the penalty, the Jets were about to get the ball back with all the momentum and only trailing by a field goal.
It was not to be, however. The controversial holding call sent Gardner, head coach Robert Saleh and 80,000 Jets fans into an angry rage once they saw the replay on the jumbotron.
SCANDAL: #NFL referee Frank Steratore signals the end of an interception before raising the flag for alleged “holding” penalty on #Jets CB Sauce Gardner.
This needs to be investigated by the league, because we all know what this looks like.
(🎥@Michael_Nania) pic.twitter.com/Vsf1Gb8jrT
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) October 2, 2023
Stoking the anger for Jets fans was just how above and beyond the NFL was celebrating Taylor Swift’s mere presence at the game.
Some fans even wondered if Swift’s presence had anything to do with the officiating. The pop superstar, and new girlfriend of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, has attracted a whole new (large) set of eyeballs to the NFL.
Interestingly, the NFL added fuel to the fire by posting on Instagram that the “Chiefs are 2-0 as Swifties,” clearly embracing the connection between Swift and Kelce’s team.
Gardner, still frustrated by the controversial penalty, addressed the situation on X…
“Lmaoo maybe if I was a swiftie, the ref wouldn’t have thrown the flag.”
Sauce Gardner on the NFL adding to their official bio: "Chiefs Are 2-0 As Swifties"
"Lmaoo maybe if I was a swiftie, the ref wouldn't of threw the flag."
He then edited it to remove the last part.. https://t.co/m0yETvXEew pic.twitter.com/dzBK2Y19sX
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) October 2, 2023
Gardner later edited the message to read: “Lmaoo maybe if I was a swiftie then…nvm.”
A lot of people are getting sick of the Swift love-fest.
While it’s true she’s generating extra buzz and attention for the league, the constant coverage has been over-the-top.
Most football fans want the focus to be on football – not someone who’s sitting in a luxury box.
Even the NFL came to their senses and removed the “Swifties” line from their Instagram account.
The Chiefs/Swifties reference has been removed from the NFL’s IG account. It was a bad look. #nfl pic.twitter.com/svClh6DsMw
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) October 2, 2023
Obviously, there is no “inside job” when it comes to keeping Swifties happy by ensuring the Chiefs win.
(That would be quite the scandal, huh???)
Regardless, what did you think of the holding call?
Are you sick and tired of all the Taylor Swift coverage yet?