Julian Edelman Not-So-Subtly Torched Bills When Asked About Chiefs Getting Calls

Former New England Patriots Julian Edelman is honored during halftime against the New Orleans Saints at Gillette Stadium.
Former New England Patriots Julian Edelman is honored during halftime against the New Orleans Saints at Gillette Stadium. / David Butler II-Imagn Images

Former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman has weighed in on the ongoing controversy surrounding the Kansas City Chiefs this postseason, and some fans won’t like hearing what he has to say.

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs will be playing for their shot at the three-peat in the Super Bowl this February after playoff wins over the Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills. In both those games, many on social media cried foul—literally—and believed the refs were giving the Chiefs preferential treatment in the postseason

Edelman delivered a blunt response to the officiating controversy in which he appeared to take a not-so-subtle shot at the Bills in particular:

"I got a question for you: Do referees drop footballs? Do referees go for fourth downs over and over with the same play and get stuffed? Do they throw interceptions? No,” Edelman told sports radio host Jim Rome. “We all do business as business is being done in the league.”

Arguably the most pivotal game-changing play in the Chiefs-Bills AFC championship tilt over the weekend was Josh Allen’s controversial failed fourth-down attempt in the fourth quarter. A new video, however, showed that the refs may have made a big mistake on the third down prior when they gave the Bills a bad spot.

In any case, Edelman makes clear that he doesn’t think the refs are helping the Chiefs amid their historic run to the Super Bowl. Take that or leave that from an ex-Patriots player who won three Super Bowls himself with Tom Brady back in the day.

“It’s a bunch of bull-oney that the league is helping the Kansas City Chiefs,” Edelman said on The Rich Eisen Show. “If you want to beat them, go beat them… I’m so sick and tired of hearing people say that about the Chiefs.”


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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.