NFL great Champ Bailey sees why some fans think games are 'rigged' amid Patrick Mahomes controversy

NFL fable Champ Bailey was among those glued to the tv erstwhile helium saw the arguable penalties called connected the Houston Texans during their playoff nonaccomplishment to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Patrick Mahomes drew 2 penalties that had the entire NFL world talking connected Saturday and astir drew a 3rd arsenic helium was accused of flopping retired of bounds connected the sidelines arsenic the Chiefs drove down the field. 

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Kansas City Chiefs backmost Patrick Mahomes slides successful beforehand of Houston Texans linebacker Henry To'oTo'o during the 4th fourth of the AFC divisional circular playoff crippled successful Kansas City, Mo., connected Jan. 18, 2025. (Denny Medley-Imagn Images)

Bailey, a erstwhile Denver Broncos and then-Washington Redskins prima cornerback, was upset with the punishment flags connected the 2 plays, peculiarly the 1 successful which Mahomes tried to descent astatine the past infinitesimal earlier helium was met by 2 Texans defenders. Houston linebacker Henry To’oTo’o was called for unnecessary roughness connected the play.

"It’s similar everything else. They reappraisal everything," helium said. "So, erstwhile they’re capable to spell backmost and look astatine these benignant of plays, similar the play I deliberation you’re referring to connected [Saturday] erstwhile helium drops to the crushed and past the guys spell implicit him, don’t adjacent deed him, but they look to. You should beryllium capable to reappraisal that [on] immoderate level and say, well, that wasn’t arsenic egregious arsenic we thought successful existent time, due to the fact that those things alteration the trajectory of the game. You truly alteration the result now.

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Champ Bailey partnered with Truelieve. (Truelieve)

"Defenders are hesitant to deed him, but present helium is. He’s dancing around, toying astir with the guys and making it look similar he’s the runner and past drops down, and present he’s protected similar a quarterback. Once you’re extracurricular of the pocket, man, it’s just game. I don’t cognize wherefore he’s protected erstwhile he’s extracurricular of the pouch the mode helium was, due to the fact that if helium was the moving backmost and did the aforesaid thing, bash you deliberation they propulsion the flag? No, they don’t."

Bailey, who spoke to Fox News Digital connected behalf of his concern with cannabis institution Trulieve, said he’s started to empathize with fans who deliberation NFL games are supposedly "rigged" oregon favour Mahomes successful immoderate way.

All he’s asking for is immoderate consistency.

"So, let’s beryllium accordant successful that way, and erstwhile you get it wrong, effort to get it right," Bailey said. "I deliberation the much they tin get calls close successful existent time, the integrity increases successful the crippled and radical commencement to judge that the games aren’t fixed. 

"I don’t consciousness similar the games are fixed due to the fact that I was successful it, but erstwhile I’m sitting present each twelvemonth – I’m retired of the league – the much and much I commencement believing what the fans are saying astir the games being ‘fixed,’ due to the fact that you spot things similar this hap implicit and over, truthful they conscionable got to fig retired a mode to get the calls close and unrecorded with it."

Mahomes said Wednesday helium didn’t judge officials favored the Chiefs.

Kansas City Chiefs backmost Patrick Mahomes gets acceptable earlier the AFC divisional circular playoff crippled against the Houston Texans. (Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images)

"I conscionable effort to play shot astatine the extremity of the day. The referees are doing their champion to telephone the crippled arsenic just and due arsenic champion they can," Mahomes said. "For me, it's spell retired there, play hard, effort to bash immoderate I tin to triumph the shot crippled and past unrecorded with the results based connected my effort and however I play the game, and that's what we preach present successful Kansas City."

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Kansas City meets the Buffalo Bills successful the AFC Championship connected Sunday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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