Although the 2024 NFL season has been significantly action-packed, dodgy officiating calls have taken center stage. Every game week has seen game-losing penalties that send at least one fan base into a meltdown. Steelers fans were the latest victims this week, and Pittsburgh legend Ben Roethlisberger made sure to voice his displeasure.
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During last week’s clash between the Colts and the Steelers, the referees stunned the NFL world by giving Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick a 15-yard penalty for a regulation tackle on rookie WR Adonai Mitchell.
However, the tackle by Minkah wasn’t ill-intentioned; it was more of a shoulder-to-shoulder collision between two players who couldn’t control their speed.
Not so surprisingly, Steelers fans, including Roethlisberger, were visibly frustrated with this. Especially since this questionable call deflated the momentum the Steelers were building. “That changed the game,” he said.
The former NFL quarterback also went on to make two simple points: 1) The referees made an atrocious decision. 2) Minkah should not take the blame for the penalty and the ensuing loss, especially considering that he played in the spirit of the game.
“It was an atrocious call… Minkah, you are exactly right. You play the game the right way…. You care about player’s safety, you care about the rules & the integrity of the game.”
#NFL icon Big Ben SHREDS THE NFL REFS for their awful call on Minkah Fitzpatrick
“IT WAS AN ATROCIOUS CALL. Minkah you are exactly right you play the game the right way…. You care about players safety you care about the rules & the integrity of the game” pic.twitter.com/9hQ1pXOwmL https://t.co/RGx3hY55oy
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) October 1, 2024
Considering Minkah’s somber post-game reaction, Ben’s words must have been quite necessary for the Steelers player’s morale.
Fitzpatrick laments today’s NFL landscape
In recent years, Roger Goodell has been receiving scathing criticism for making the NFL a softer league. Quarterbacks and wide receivers have never been more protected, and what happened with Minkah is yet another example of this.
In his post-game interview, the Steelers safety sounded hurt by the penalty call. However, he did express his bafflement at how soft the game has become because the football he grew up playing was a physical game.
“I thought we were playing football …. This is not the game I grew up playing… you can’t hit anybody.”
What makes the penalty incident worse is the fact that the Steelers fell short in the game by a close margin [24-27].
This upset loss will surely sting the Steeler Nation for a while, as they might be wondering how the game would have panned out had the foul not been called.
