Micah Parsons isn’t pleased with the current state of NFL officiating.
The Packers’ All-Pro pass rusher went on a lengthy rant on Thursday that included him stating that NFL officials make calls to placate fans who want to see points, often at the defense’s expense.
“They don’t call offsides for offense, but they’ll call it on defense,” Parsons said, via ESPN. “They won’t call offensive pass interference, but they’ll call defensive pass interference. We know what they’re trying to do. They want to load the points up so fans can be happy. They’ll call defensive holding, but they won’t call offensive holding. Let’s just wake up.”
Parsons, who said that he hasn’t gotten a call from the officials in “five years,” said that there’s also a double standard in terms of player safety while alluding to an incident involving him that occurred during Green Bay’s recent win over the Bengals.
During the win, Parsons said that when he suffered a popped a blood vessel after getting poked in the eye by a Bengals player who wasn’t flagged for illegal hands to the face.
“If you’re going to say it’s about protecting players, then protect all players,” said Parsons, who added that he switched to a more protective face mask after the incident occurred. “Don’t just protect one side of the ball. Like, I don’t mind guys chipping from the outside, but running backs want to come and [hit] players while we’re engaged with offensive linemen, that’s complete bulls—. That’s not good football. That’s not safe football.
“You want to fine guys for putting their head down [and leading with the helmet], but you can be engaged with an offensive tackle and a guard can put his head right into your head. What are we talking about here? Look at how many times that’s on film, guys putting their head down and trying to come clean your clock. But you can’t do that to offensive players. S—. You’ll get a $50,000 fine. I might get a fine for this [news] conference.”
Parsons is far from the first defensive player to rail against NFL officials and faces the task of continuing to play at a high level despite not getting as many calls as he would like.
While Parsons himself acknowledged Thursday that the way he’s officiating comes with “being one of the best,” he isn’t simply going to accept not getting what he feels is a fair shake from the officials.
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