NFL great Champ Bailey sees why some fans think games are 'rigged' amid Patrick Mahomes controversy
NFL legend Champ Bailey was among those glued to the television when he saw the controversial penalties called on the Houston Texans during their playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Patrick Mahomes drew two penalties that had the entire NFL world talking on Saturday and nearly drew a third as he was accused of flopping out of bounds on the sidelines as the Chiefs drove down the field.Β
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Bailey, a former Denver Broncos and then-Washington Redskins star cornerback, was upset with the penalty flags on the two plays, particularly the one in which Mahomes tried to slide at the last minute before he was met by two Texans defenders. Houston linebacker Henry ToβoToβo was called for unnecessary roughness on the play.
"Itβs like everything else. They review everything," he said. "So, when theyβre able to go back and look at these type of plays, like the play I think youβre referring to on [Saturday] when he drops to the ground and then the guys go over him, donβt even hit him, but they appear to. You should be able to review that [on] some level and say, well, that wasnβt as egregious as we thought in real time, because those things change the trajectory of the game. You really change the outcome now.
TOM BRADY SAYS QBs WHO SCRAMBLE βSHOULD LOSE THEIR PROTECTIONβ AMID PATRICK MAHOMES CONTROVERSY
"Defenders are hesitant to hit him, but here he is. Heβs dancing around, toying around with the guys and making it seem like heβs the runner and then drops down, and now heβs protected like a quarterback. Once youβre outside of the pocket, man, itβs fair game. I donβt know why heβs protected when heβs outside of the pocket the way he was, because if he was the running back and did the same thing, do you think they throw the flag? No, they donβt."
Bailey, who spoke to Fox News Digital on behalf of his partnership with cannabis company Trulieve, said heβs started to empathize with fans who think NFL games are supposedly "rigged" or favor Mahomes in some way.
All heβs asking for is some consistency.
"So, letβs be consistent in that way, and when you get it wrong, try to get it right," Bailey said. "I think the more they can get calls right in real time, the integrity increases in the game and people start to believe that the games arenβt fixed.Β
"I donβt feel like the games are fixed because I was in it, but when Iβm sitting here every year β Iβm out of the league β the more and more I start believing what the fans are saying about the games being βfixed,β because you see things like this happen over and over, so they just got to figure out a way to get the calls right and live with it."
Mahomes said Wednesday he didnβt believe officials favored the Chiefs.
"I just try to play football at the end of the day. The referees are doing their best to call the game as fair and proper as best they can," Mahomes said. "For me, it's go out there, play hard, try to do whatever I can to win the football game and then live with the results based on my effort and how I play the game, and that's what we preach here in Kansas City."
Kansas City meets the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship on Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News DigitalβsΒ sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.