ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter has hit back after he faced furious backlash over his reporting on the league’s potential new rules.
Schefter reported over the weekend that the NFL is expected to expand replay assist that could include quarterback slides this offseason.
The reporter appeared to imply that the rule change was influenced by Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Recently, Mahomes was at the center of controversy following the Chiefs’ NFL Divisional Round win over the Houston Texans. An unnecessary roughness penalty was called against Texans linebacker Henry To’oTo’o when the quarterback slid late, causing two Houston defenders to collide over the top of him.
‘For all those complaining that Patrick Mahomes gets too many calls, relief soon could be on the way, Schefter wrote Saturday on X. ‘NFL replay assist is expected to expand this offseason into plays that could include the quarterback slide, league sources told ESPN.’
Former offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz, who won a Super Bowl alongside Mahomes with the Chiefs in 2023, led the criticism of Schefter, taking issue with his reference to the Kansas City signal caller.
‘The league’s voice with the largest reach is insinuating the league both influences games via refereeing AND favors one team specifically. It’s not a cute little joke,’ Schwartz wrote, adding Schefter’s message in his post. ‘That would be the biggest sports scandal ever, especially with everything being tied to gambling these days.’
‘It’s insane that someone in the league is pushing this, and/or allowing the most visible person to spew this kind of BS,’ Schwartz added. ‘Maybe the Chiefs are better coached and don’t hit QBs late or in the head/neck. Back in my day teams who got less penalties called were considered better coached. Insane.’
However, the ESPN insider defended his reporting during Monday’s episode of the Pat McAfee Show, insisting there was ‘zero agenda’ against Mahomes and the Chiefs.
‘The facts are the facts. I presented the facts. There was zero — let me be very clear about that — zero intent behind that,’ he said during his guest appearance.
‘I’m a little surprised that people are so offended with factual information. There was zero agenda. It was a number, some stats in conjunction with a story that the NFL is considering expanding replay assist to include plays that include quarterback slides. That’s it. Those are the numbers. That’s it. No agenda.’
Schwartz wasn’t the only one to take issue with the report as Nick Wright, a host on Fox Sports 1’s ‘First Things First’ and a known Chiefs fan, also took to social media to claims Schefter was doing ‘disservice to fans.’
‘I get why the anonymous account are feeding this: They get paid off of engagement & that’s their hustle. But for @AdamSchefter, who makes *9M a year*, feed into this on arguably the single best day of football of the year, just to satisfy the algorithm, is a disservice to fans,’ Wright wrote.
‘Listen, I (and basically everyone) like @AdamSchefter,’ he continued. ‘But writing this piece, framing it around Mahomes exclusively, and not including the fact that *the league says both calls were correct & replay wouldn’t have changed either* is simply ludicrous & poor journalism.’
Meanwhile, actor Eric Stonestreet, a diehard Chiefs fan best known for his role in Modern Family, responded ‘!!!!!’ to a tweet that claimed ‘It’s RIGGED!’ with Schefter’s message.
The NFL’s competition committee will discuss expanding replay assist at the league’s annual meeting, which will be held March in Palm Beach, Florida.
In the meantime, the Chiefs will face the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl on February 9 in New Orleans.
The showdown, a rematch of Super Bowl LVII, will see Mahomes and co. attempt to complete an unprecedented Super Bowl three-peat.
