New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner put NFL referees on blast Monday, claiming there’s an double standard against underperforming teams.
Gardner’s Jets fell to 0-4 after losing the the previously winless Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. The two-time All-Pro was vocal as he spoke to reporters after the game.
When asked to air out his level of frustration about the loss, Gardner shared that he believes the officiating has a bias against perennial losers like the Jets, who appear headed for their 10th consecutive season with a record below .500.
“I watch football all the time,” said Gardner. “I think I get called for more stuff just based off of us just not winning. I watch these winning programs, and it’ll be some egregious things, and it don’t get called. Letting players play. … We don’t win, and I feel like we don’t get the calls that we should get, and we get called for calls that we probably shouldn’t get called for.”
True enough, the Jets got burned by a rough offensive pass interference call that wiped away a Garrett Wilson touchdown in the second half. New York lost to Miami 27-21.
The Jets were called for 13 penalties for 101 yards — more than double the Dolphins’ total of 6 for 40 yards. On the other hand, a handful of the Jets’ penalties were also evidently the result of mental mistakes and the team’s own lack of discipline.
It’s easy to blame the referees for costing a team a game. But a decade of losing probably speaks more about the franchise’s dysfunction than some 50-50 calls that went the other way.
