KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes did not hold back after the team’s Week 14 loss to Buffalo, criticizing the officiating crew for its handling an offensive offsides penalty against receiver Kadarius Toney.
On Saturday, the NFL didn’t hold back when levying fines for their behavior.
The NFL issued a $100,000 fine to Reid and a $50,000 fine to Mahomes for their criticism of the officiating in their postgame remarks. Mahomes was also cited for unsportsmanlike conduct — defined as verbal or other non-physical offense against an official — as well as for his criticism of the officiating crew. There was no unsportsmanlike conduct penalty called on Mahomes during the game.
The fines are the largest handed out so far this season by the NFL that did not include a suspension.
The controversy occurred with 1:25 remaining in the game. Down judge Mike Carr flagged Toney for lining up offsides, which nullified a 49-yard touchdown for the Chiefs in which Travis Kelce hauled in a pass from Mahomes for a 25-yard gain, then threw a lateral across the field to Toney, who raced into the end zone for another 24 yards.
Reid after the game twice called the outcome “a bit embarrassing” for the NFL. He said it was out of the norm for an official to call offsides on an offensive player without issuing a warning.
“Normally I’ll get – I never use any of this as excuses, but normally I get a warning before something like that happens in a big game,” Reid said. “Bit embarrassing in the National Football League for that to take place.”
Mahomes was visibly upset on the sidelines after the call, and TV cameras later caught him after the game using an expletive when discussing the play with Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Mahomes took to the podium after Reid Sunday and echoed his head coach.
“We talk about (it), I mean you point to the ref, do all that different type of stuff, they warn you and there was no warning throughout the entire game and then you wait until there’s a minute in the game to make a call like that, it’s tough,” Mahomes said. “I mean loss for words – it’s tough because regardless if we win or lose, just for it to end up with another game and we’re talking about the refs, it’s just not what we want for the NFL or for football.”
Toney did not address the call until Thursday when he refuted that he had received a warning during the game about his alignment on the line of scrimmage. Toney was not fined Saturday for his remarks.
“They didn’t. They said they gave me a warning, but I never talked to the ref,” Toney said. “Full spectrum, we’re moving forward. We’re not think about that no more.”
During league meetings in Texas this week, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell defended the call on Toney.
“I find it a little ironic when you say attention on officiating when I think almost everybody, to my knowledge, is acknowledging that the officials were absolutely correct,” Goodell said. “That’s their job to call when there’s a foul. There was no question about that foul. It was absolutely the right call. If you don’t call that, obviously we would’ve been subject or our officials would’ve been subject to criticism also.”
The last time the NFL handed out such hefty fines to a coach and player came last December when the league fined the New Orleans Saints $350,000, head coach Dennis Allen $100,000, defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen $50,000 and defensive end Cameron Jordan $50,000 for faking an injury against Tampa Bay. The fines were later rescinded upon appeal.
