The NFL knows the Green Bay Packers–Detroit Lions Week 7 matchup in Detroit involved multiple controversial calls. Evidently, the league has taken multiple steps to avoid any further scrutiny of officiating. Just this week, the NFL decided to move an officiating crew for the Philadelphia Eagles-Washington Commanders Prime Time matchup.
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And now, the league has taken another decision. Only this time, it wasn’t about avoiding any further scrutiny over the officiating. In fact, the league has punished the Packers safety Xavier McKinney after the 28-year-old called out the refs for several controversial calls in the Packers’ 20-17 loss in Detroit.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the NFL has officially fined McKinney $25,000 for his post-game criticism of officials after the team’s loss. The official confirmation from the league came after Green Bay defeated the Carolina Panthers 27-19 on Thursday Night.
Per Rob Demovsky of ESPN, McKinney had already confirmed before the kickoff that the league fined him for his remarks against the officials. While the 28-year-old didn’t disclose the specific fine amount, he acknowledged the fine wasn’t less than $25,000. The league’s decision, however, came after McKinney’s comments following the Packers’ Week 7 loss.
“I don’t know how the NFL is going to treat it, but I’m not a big fan of the refs right now,” said McKinney. “I don’t think it’s great officiating if I’m being completely honest. I think it’s bullshit a lot of the time. I think there are drives where they make calls that don’t even make any sense. For instance, we had a call; I think it was on- I forgot who it was on- but the runner was still running. We didn’t hear a whistle; we tried to get him down, and then their player hit the ref, and he falls. He gets mad on the ground, and he just throws the flag.
“He don’t even know who hit him. So it’s just like bullshit that’s going on. Bullshit calls. I can’t really tell you because sometimes we’re not seeing the same calls for our quarterback. We’re not seeing the same calls for our offensive guy, so I just don’t really understand it. It really don’t matter if it’s home or away. It’s kind of been consistent throughout the year. So, I mean, obviously, like I said, it’s not to make it an excuse, but I just say, you got to go both ways, man. That’s all I say.”
The incident that Xavier McKinney was referring to occurred in the third quarter of the matchup when the Lions were attempting to extend their lead against the Packers. Quarterback Jared Goff found wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and completed a short pass, as the receiver gained around four yards.
However, Isaiah McDuffie initially brought St. Brown down. But the receiver got back to his feet and appeared to attempt to continue running, creating confusion about whether the play had actually ended. At the same time, the Packers’ Devonte Wyatt intervened and grabbed St. Brown and brought him down again. In the process, however, umpire Terry Killens Jr. got caught in action.
As St. Brown moved into the area, his leg swung around, and his cleat appeared to strike the official in the midsection, knocking him to the turf. The incident prompted Killens to flag Wyatt for unnecessary roughness. While the players hadn’t heard the whistle, which led St. Brown to keep running, referee Alex Moore later explained that the play had already ended.
“We ruled that the play was over,” said Moore. “I can’t honestly hear if there was a whistle or not, but the tackler made the tackle, the play was over. Then, there was an additional action, and he basically tackled him again with force after the play was over.”
But that wasn’t the only call that drew criticism. The refs were scrutinized for flagging the Packers on several controversial calls, including an intentional grounding by quarterback Jordon Love, Brenton Cox Jr. being penalized for roughing the passer after making unintentional contact with Goff, and Brandon Cisse’s interception that was wiped out by a defensive pass interference.
As the calls gained traction, the NFL moved Alex Moore’s crew from Sunday Night’s Eagles-Commanders matchup to the New England Patriots-Miami Dolphins afternoon game in Week 8, citing the decision as “more about optics rather than a disciplinary action.” Now, Shawn Hochuli’s crew will officiate the Eagles-Commanders matchup.