Houston Texans defensive Will Anderson Jr. said what many fans were thinking after his team’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last week, and the decision has cost him a hefty sum of money.
The NFL has fined Anderson $25,000 for publicly criticizing the officiating crew following Houston’s 23-14 AFC Divisional round loss to the Chiefs, Pro Football Talk reports.
Anderson was called for questionable roughing the passer penalty midway through the first quarter against Kansas City. The pass-rusher hit Patrick Mahomes a bit high, but many people felt the play did not warrant a flag.
In his postgame press conference, Anderson said the Texans “knew it was going to be us against the refs going into this game.” You can listen to his full remarks here.
Texans fans were also enraged during the second half when another unnecessary roughness call was made after Patrick Mahomes went into a late slide. Even FOX analyst Troy Aikman unloaded on the officiating crew over that penalty.
There has been a lot of talk leading up to the AFC Championship Game about the Chiefs receiving preferential treatment from officials. The NFL is even expected to make a significant change that appears to be, at least in part, inspired by all the outrage.
