Chiefs' Hopkins: 'Are y'all gonna talk about the refs now?'
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins hopes the 40-22 Super Bowl LIX loss to the Philadelphia Eagles puts to bed any conspiracy theories about the officials helping his team.
"It's my first year being with the Chiefs and I saw a lot of things in the media about the refs but obviously, shoot, what are y'all gonna say now about the refs and us?" Hopkins said rhetorically postgame, according to Nick Suss of The Tennessean. "There was a lot of touchy calls. Are y'all gonna report that? Are y'all gonna talk about the refs now?"
The officiating has been heavily scrutinized during the Chiefs' run to Super Bowl LIX, which prompted NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to label the theory that the referees were helping Kansas City "ridiculous" while the league's referees association called the conspiracy "insulting and preposterous."
The Chiefs were penalized seven times for 75 yards in the Super Bowl loss while the Eagles were called for penalties on eight occasions, racking up 59 penalty yards.
Hopkins, who made his first Super Bowl appearance Sunday, caught two of his five targets for 18 yards and added a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Kansas City struggled offensively against Philadelphia: Patrick Mahomes was sacked six times and threw two interceptions, including a pick-6.