NFL referee Brad Allen is on the hot seat following his controversial mistake during the Detroit Lions versus Dallas Cowboys Week 17 game on Saturday. Now, as the issue takes center stage, his officiating record is now also being scrutinized and criticized.
Brad Allen Dooms Detroit Lions Against Dallas Cowboys
For those who missed it, the NFL referee is on the receiving end of heavy criticisms after he called an illegal touching penalty on the Lions late in their showdown with the Cowboys.
The penalty occurred after Jared Goff threw a two-point conversion pass to offensive lineman Taylor Decker with 23 seconds left on the game. The play would have given the Lions the 21-20 lead over the Cowboys, and potentially the eventual win. However, it was wiped off as a result of the penalty call.
Allen made the ruling because Decker wasn’t reported as the eligible receiver in the play. Instead, it was offensive tackle Dan Skipper who reported as eligible. The referee himself made the announcement on the field, though the Lions have been claiming that Decker reported and Skipper never did it.
Many have since blamed Allen for the costly mistake, with fans and experts alike even sharing video proof that Decker reported. The general consensus is that Allen got confused who reported, and it was a costly mistake that denied the Lions the chance to win.
Allen has since insisted what he did was right, emphasizing that Skipper reported to him and not Decker.
Regardless, though, the Lions just couldn’t hide their heartbreak over the incident. Both head coach Dan Campbell and quarterback Jared Goff expressed frustration after the game, with the latter even noting how much it “sucks” to lose when they thought they won the game.
Brad Allen’s History of Officiating Mistakes Goes Viral
Amid all the attention that Brad Allen is getting because of the controversy, several fans and media personalities couldn’t help but point out the referee’s history of officiating mistakes, or at least controversial calls and non-calls.
In the wake of the issue, Adam Schefter of ESPN shared an article from early this December where he detailed how Allen’s officiating crew was “under scrutiny” for a no-call on a “blatant and potentially game-deciding pass interference penalty” during the Kansas City Chiefs-Green Bay Packers game.
Even worse, Schefter mentioned in the same article how Allen’s crew also missed a defensive pass interference call during a November game.
“The crew that officiated the Packers-Chiefs game, led by referee Brad Allen, also handled the Saints-Falcons game on Nov. 26 in Atlanta, where there was another controversial missed defensive pass interference call,” Schefter wrote in his report.
Aside from those, Schefter also shared a video on X (formerly Twitter) showing how Brad Allen failed to call a roughing penalty that cost the Chicago Bears a field goal.
As Schefter noted in his earlier article, NFL referees are being evaluated “on every play of every game.” The evaluation results apparently play “major role in determining how to help the officials improve their performance as well as decide which officials will officiate in the playoffs.”
Considering everything that has happened so far, fans can only assume that Brad Allen and his crew will hear more from the NFL about their performance.
It will surely be interesting to see what the NFL says about the Detroit Lions’ loss to the Dallas Cowboys, as well as the performance of the referees.