Carl Cheffers, referee for Super Bowl 2023, was trolled for calling a penalty on James Bradberry in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles to take the title.
“Patrick Mahomes does not deserve Super Bowl MVP, Jalen Hurts does. But Carl Cheffers took it away #SuperBowl,” a Twitter user said.
“CARL CHEFFERS YOU WILL BE DEALT WITH,” another one said.
Cheffers served as a side judge in his early years at the NFL, and was a crew in a team led by referee Larry Nemmers. After Nemmers and referee Gerald Austin retired, Cheffers was elevated to referee (crew chief) starting with the 2008 NFL season.
Mike Pereira, the NFL’s head of officiating, said of Cheffers when he was promoted to referee: “As a side judge on the field, Carl has had great success. He is an excellent rules guy who is well knowledgeable about the laws. imposing presence He was obviously a crew leader because he was a member of Larry Nemmers’ team. Even though Carl had primarily refereed at the small-college level when we first met him, we could tell he had expertise as a referee.”
A complicated play on a kickoff return by the Houston Texans in the fourth quarter of a game between the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans that Cheffers officiated in 2010 resulted in many offsetting penalties.
Cheffers’ difficulty in clearly announcing the play’s outcome and the penalties led to a memorable and amusing occasion for the broadcasters and spectators.
