The referee assignments for the conference championship games have been announced, and the NFL is under some scrutiny over one of the officials in Kansas City.
Clete Blakeman, who was front-and-center in the Deflategate saga, as he was tasked with officiating that game, is on the crew for Patriots-Chiefs. That’s not good news for New England, as it is 4-6 in games that Blakeman officiates.
Clete Blakeman has been assigned as referee for Sunday's AFC Championship Game between the Patriots and Chiefs. Blakeman wears No. 34. He entered the NFL in 2008 as a field judge and was promoted to referee in 2010. Blakeman was the referee for Super Bowl 50.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) January 15, 2019
Pats fans have unleashed all sorts of conspiracy theories surrounding Blakeman over the years, so it wasn’t surprising that they had plenty to say about him being on the field Sunday. Here are some of the best reaction tweets.
https://twitter.com/MrSoFlyGary/status/1085229861961170946
https://twitter.com/TJCarpenterShow/status/1085232276215017472
https://twitter.com/Holy_Warden/status/1085011874511577088
Clete Blakeman if going to ref #AFCChampionship game? That’s a fucking joke. No conflict of interest here @NFL
— Rita Hubbard (@firefly21us) January 15, 2019
If the NFL had an ethics panel, they would demand that Blakeman recuse himself from this game. https://t.co/BLrbLUEWRp
— Bruce Allen (@bruceallen) January 15, 2019
Blakeman may break the Internet if even one call goes against the Patriots on Sunday.
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