NFL great Champ Bailey looks at why some fans think games are ‘fixed’ 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 Kansas City Chiefs.
Patrick Mahomes took the two penalties they had the entire NFL world talking Saturday and nearly drew a third as he was accused of flying out of bounds on the sideline as the Chiefs drove down the field.
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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes slides in front of Houston Texans running back Henry To’oTo’o during the fourth quarter of an AFC divisional playoff game in Kansas City, Mo., on Jan. 18, 2025. (Denny Medley-Imagn Pictures)
Bailey, a former star cornerback for the Denver Broncos and then-Washington Redskins, was upset by the two-play penalty flags, especially one where Mahomes tried to slide in the final minute before being tackled by two Texas defenders. Houston linebacker Henry To’oTo’o was called for unnecessary roughness on the play.
“It’s like anything else. They review everything,” he said. “So when I can go back and look at these kinds of plays, like the play I think you’re referring to [Saturday] when he goes down to the ground and then the guys run over him, don’t even hit him, but it looks like they did. You should be able to review it [on] some level and say, well, that wasn’t as outrageous as we thought in real time, because those things change the trajectory of the game. Now you are really changing the outcome.
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Champ Bailey has partnered with Truelieve. (Truth)
“Defenders are hesitant to hit him, but here he is. He’s dancing around, making plays with guys and making it look like he’s a runner, and then he goes down and now he’s protected as a linebacker. Once you get outside the pocket, man, it’s fair game, I don’t know why he’s protected when he’s out of the pocket like he was, because if he was a runner and did the same thing, do you think they throw the flag? No, they don’t.”
Bailey, who spoke with Fox News Digital on behalf of his partnership with cannabis company Trulieve, he said he’s come to empathize with fans who think NFL games are allegedly “fixed” or favor Mahomes in some way.
All he asks for is consistency.
“So let’s be consistent in that sense, and when you make a mistake, try to correct it,” Bailey said. “I think the more I can get calls in real time, the integrity of the game increases and people start to believe that the games aren’t fixed.
“I don’t feel like games are fixed because I’ve been in it, but when I sit here every year – I’m relegated – more and more I’m starting to believe what the fans say about games being ‘fixed’, because you see things like this things happen over and over again, so they just have to figure out a way to get the calls right and live with it.”
Mahomes said Wednesday he doesn’t believe officials are favoring the Chiefs.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes gets ready before the AFC divisional playoff game against the Houston Texans. (Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images)
“I’m just trying to play football at the end of the day. The refs do their best to make the game as fair and as fair as possible,” Mahomes said. “For me, it’s going out there, playing hard, trying to do everything I can to win the football game and then living with the results based on my effort and the way I play the game, and that’s what we preach here in Kansas City.”
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Kansas City takes on the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship on Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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