New York, November 2025
After a wave of outrage spreading widely across the NFL community, the National Football League (NFL) has officially issued a statement suspending indefinitely the entire officiating crew led by Carl Cheffers, following the highly controversial game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills in Week 9, where the Bills secured a 28–21 victory.
According to sources from Football Zebras and confirmed by the NFL, the officiating crew consisting of Carl Cheffers (referee), Fred Bryan, Sarah Thomas, Carl Johnson, Nate Jones, Chad Hill, Dino Paganelli, and Roddy Ames (video supervisor) has been temporarily suspended from duties to serve an internal investigation. The decision was issued just 48 hours after the game, marking one of the most severe disciplinary actions in modern NFL history.
The cause stems from the controversial situation in the third quarter, when Patrick Mahomes was penalized for intentional grounding, even though slow-motion video showed the ball had touched the Bills defender’s hand before hitting the ground. Head Coach Andy Reid immediately wanted to challenge it, but Cheffers asserted that the play was “non-reviewable.” That ruling halted a drive that could have allowed the Chiefs to tie the game, and it was the turning point that swung the match.
Gene Steratore has never seen something like this in his career:
Intentional grounding was called on Patrick Mahomes here, but the referees failed to see that the ball was tipped at the line of scrimmage. Andy Reid attempted to challenge the ruling on the field, only to be told… pic.twitter.com/NWeWynyoRG
https://twitter.com/i/status/1985127478755496265
Just hours after the game ended, the keyword “Bills vs Chiefs rigged” climbed to the top 1 trend on X (Twitter) with over 2.5 million posts. Former stars like Tony Gonzalez and Shannon Sharpe spoke out, calling it “one of the worst blunders” in the past decade.
Faced with immense pressure from public opinion, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell spoke at a press conference this morning in New York: “We always respect the officials – but like every individual in the organization, they must be accountable for mistakes that affect the integrity of the league. The game between the Chiefs and Bills showed a series of decisions that did not meet standards. Therefore, we are forced to act.”
Goodell also confirmed that a comprehensive review of the game operations system will be conducted, including the “non-reviewable” process that has been controversial for many years.
For Kansas City fans, an apology cannot change the result – but at least, they have seen the NFL for the first time truly listen and act for fairness.
