Close Menu
    Sports Commentary

    As NFL Rigged Controversy Rages, Players Troll the Conspiracy Theory With Stories of “Scripts”

    By Updated:

    The NFL has found itself at the forefront of a conspiracy theory that just won’t go away, and for good reason. Last Sunday’s AFC Championship game between Kansas City and Cincinnati featured some of the worst officiating the league has ever seen, especially in a game of that magnitude. The officiating crew bumbled and stumbled their way through the second half of the game looking as if they had lost their canes and guide dogs. However, most of America was watching, and they had their eyes open as “NFL Rigged” trended on Twitter after the sad performance. Numerous media types, ex-players and current players spoke up on Twitter during the game wondering exactly what was going on as well.  The league has yet to address the issue, but this week, several current and ex-players, in an attempt to troll the conspiracy theorists and perhaps take some of the attention from the league told stories about getting handed their season “scripts” from the NFL. Check this out.

    Ex-NFL star Arian Foster’s sarcastic explanation about how the league was “rigged” brought along some hilarious responses from his former colleagues on Wednesday.

    “We were really dedicated to it. So, it was more so like that’s what practice was about — it was about practicing the script. This is what goes on, this is what we have to do … WWF, so it’s like we know what’s going to happen. You still gotta put on a show,” the four-time Pro Bowl running back said.

    He was then asked about “the script” he got when his career “fell off a cliff,” when he stopped believing in God.

    “It was 2015. Oddly enough, the scriptwriters didn’t have anything to do with that, actually. It has more so to do with they needed a change of scenery in Houston,” Foster said deadpan. “It was time to go so. They wanted to get everybody out of Houston — that was the ultimate goal.”

    Arian Foster is a well know prankster to fans and the league, and it was obvious he was deadpanning and being sarcastic even several years ago when he spoke of the same topic on another podcast. However, the players are missing the point. No one with a functioning brain thinks the entire league has scripts and is rehearsed like the WWE. That would take too many people never speaking out and too many athletes being able to pull off orchestrated moves. For some teams it’s hard enough to complete a pass or kick a field goal, so no, no one believes in the script scenario.

    However, all it takes is getting to a few players and officials. If organized crime or some other element could compromise just a few players or officials, point spreads and wins and losses could easily be manipulated. The NBA had a similar situation with official Tim Donaghy who was shaving points. Does one need to be reminded of the Black Sox scandal in Major League Baseball? All it takes is a long snapper to bounce a snap, or a kicker to intentionally hook a game winning field goal, or an official to keep the hankie in his pocket during the biggest play of the game. Kind of like the play in the AFC Championship when the officials ignored a blatant hold on Kansas City that would’ve wiped out a penalty on Cincinnati and likely sent the game to overtime. No, it isn’t a sweeping conspiracy involving scripts and players and coaches, but if anyone isn’t a little suspicious about the officiating in that game, then you are either a Chief fan or not paying attention.

    Featured image credit: screengrab from embedded tweet

    "*" indicates required fields

    GOP should investigate Nancy Pelosi*
    This poll subscribes you to our premium network of content. Unsubscribe at any time.
    This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.




    Related Posts