Super Bowl 2023: 'Terrible' late refereeing decision helps Kansas ...

Two-time Super Bowl champion Osi Umenyiora led the complaints about a late refereeing decision in Super Bowl 57 that threatened to overshadow a brilliant Kansas City Chiefs comeback.

With the scores level, the Chiefs were about settle for a field goal with just under two minutes remaining, meaning the Philadelphia Eagles would still have a realistic shot at forcing overtime or winning the game outright.

However, the incomplete pass was chalked off by a referee’s flag, thrown for defensive holding by cornerback James Bradberry on JuJu Smith-Schuster, handing the Chiefs the chance to run down the clock for more than a minute before kicking the winning field goal.

“Now that I’m looking at it [again], that was a little ticky-tack, I don’t know if you make a call like that in that situation. He barely grabbed him there,” Umenyiora told ITV.

“He barely touched him, man. That’s a terrible call.

“I’d be furious right now if I were James Bradberry. He’s a fantastic footballer player. He’s part for the reason they’re even here at the Super Bowl. You do not want to make a crucial error, especially in a situation like this.”

That view was shared by Lebron James, the basketball legend who last week broke the all-time record for points in the NBA, and former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky.

“Sorry but I don’t like that call! Not for the Super Bowl man! His hand on his back had no effect on his route!” James wrote on Twitter.

“This game was too damn good for that call to dictate the outcome at the end. Damn! By the way I have no horse in the race. Just my professional opinion.”

Orlovsky wrote: “Absolutely awful penalty. Horrible call.”

Just days before the Super Bowl, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had said that “for us, when you look at officiating, I don’t think it’s ever been better in the league” and on ITV’s UK coverage of the sport’s showpiece event, former NFL defensive back Jason Bell defended the officials.

“This is a huge play. This is defensive holding right here. Bradberry hooks his hip to try to slingshot himself around,” Bell said.

“The problem is his hand was outside, it’s easy for the ref to see it. He had to throw a flag.

“You have to know better than this.”