Jason Kelce doesn’t think players should be fined for calling out bad officiating.
The ESPN analyst went off on the latest episode of New Heights, taking issue with the NFL’s policy of fining players who publicly criticize officials. The topic came up after Giants pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux had to walk back his postgame comments following Sunday’s 38-20 loss to the Eagles, where a questionable early whistle wiped out what appeared to be a clear fumble recovery on a tush push attempt.
“Listen, you know me, I don’t like complaining about officials,” Kelce said. “I never have. That’s not how I operate. I don’t think that you should be fined. I think that’s bullsh*t, personally… Yeah, what the f*ck is this? It’s freedom of speech, baby. What the f*ck are we doing right here?”‘
The controversial moment happened in the second quarter with the game tied 7-7. Philadelphia faced fourth-and-1 at New York’s 11-yard line and ran its signature tush push. Jalen Hurts got the first down, but as he was still being pushed forward — still upright, still moving ‚ Thibodeaux ripped the ball out of his hands.
It looked like a fumble. Replays showed it was a fumble. Officials called forward progress stopped.
Referee Brad Rogers ruled the whistle had blown before Thibodeaux stripped the ball, meaning there was nothing to review. Giants coach Brian Daboll challenged anyway out of sheer frustration, losing a timeout and a challenge in the process. Two plays later, Hurts hit Saquon Barkley for a nine-yard touchdown to make it 14-7. The Eagles never looked back.
Thibodeaux was understandably heated in his postgame interview, explaining that officials told him they’d called forward progress before the ball came out.
“Sounds like some bullsh*t to me,” he said.
That’s when teammate Brian Burns stepped in with a warning: “You’ll get fined.”
Thibodeaux immediately changed his tune. “Sorry, I mean, that was a great call by the refs. You can’t blame missed calls on anything. I think we didn’t stop the run. They made the 50-50 balls, and they got the best of us.”
“I don’t think you should be able to be fined for that,” Jason Kelce added. “I think that’s nonsense. And I am all for having the officials’ back usually. But listen, it was a bad call. What do you want me to say? I don’t know.”
Hard to argue with that logic, especially after watching the play in question unfold. Jason Kelce has never been the type to constantly complain about officials — he’s made that abundantly clear. But even someone who typically gives referees the benefit of the doubt couldn’t defend what happened Sunday. When a blown call is that obvious and that consequential, pretending otherwise doesn’t do anyone any favors.
That’s the part that bothered the former Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro center.
Beyond the fining issue, the Kelce brothers also touched on the broader issue with the tush push itself. Jason suggested that if officials can’t properly call the play, it might end up being the reason the league eventually bans it altogether. Twenty-two of 32 NFL teams voted to ban the play this past offseason, falling two votes short of the threshold needed.
The play has become increasingly difficult to officiate. Officials struggle with identifying false starts before the snap. They struggle with determining when forward progress stops during the push. They struggle with knowing when to blow the whistle. Sunday’s controversy was just the latest example.
But that’s not the players’ problem. And it’s certainly not a reason to fine them for pointing it out.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.