The officiating job in Week 5’s Kansas City Chiefs-Minnesota Vikings game looks worse after the NFL handed down discipline for an incident that game officials pointedly ignored.
Chiefs defensive back L’Jarius Sneed was fined $13,659 by the league for removing his helmet to argue a flag late in Kansas City’s Week 5 win, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Notably, the incident was not flagged on the field.
The NFL fined #Chiefs CB L’Jarius Sneed $13,659 for unsportsmanlike conduct — removing his helmet to argue a flag against him late in last week’s win over the #Vikings.
Officials picked up the original flag and didn’t flag Sneed for removing his helmet either. pic.twitter.com/8rzViwfUxJ
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 14, 2023
Sneed removed his helmet to argue a pass interference call on a vital 4th and 12 late in the fourth quarter of the game. Removing one’s helmet on the field is a strictly-defined penalty, but the referees simply told him to put his helmet back on as they debated the flag. Sneed was not flagged a second time, and the officials even went on to pick up the marker that had initially been thrown against him.
The NFL’s discipline seems like a pretty clear admission that the referees screwed up a fairly important call. It also fuels a perception that the league lets the Chiefs get away with a lot, since the team has benefitted from a few of these in recent weeks.
