Cameras caught a referee appearing to apologize to Josh Allen after failing to award the Buffalo Bills a call during their Wild Card game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
The Bills look to have this one in the bag, having gone up 21-7 in the third quarter. However, the officials failed to throw the flag on a blatant holding in the end zone with scores at 13-7.
One of the refs headed to the Bills bench to speak to Allen thereafter, appearing to express regret over the mistake.
Check it out in the videos below:
🚨🚨THIS IS WILD🚨🚨
Ref Bill Vinovich went over to Buffalo #Bills quarterback Josh Allen on the sideline and apologized for missing an obvious holding calling the end zone.
😳😳😳
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME EVER A REF APOLOGIZED TO A PLAYER MID-GAME.pic.twitter.com/eLZA7ANwwT
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) January 12, 2025
who reads lips pic.twitter.com/HR5V32OxPw
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) January 12, 2025
Fans Weren’t Sure What To Make Of The Apology To Josh Allen
There were plenty of comments under the clips, with most fans expressing surprise and claiming it was a first as far as they knew. Others felt like the officials were showing Allen and the Bills favoritism.
“Bro I’ve NEVER seen a ref go to the sideline to apologize for a missed call. Could you imagine if that happened to the Chiefs????” someone asked.
“There is your proof they have their favorite,” another wrote at the end of a rant.
Another section of fans felt like the apology was deserved, given that the penalty was too obvious to miss.
