No, the NFL did not suspend the referees after the Steelers-Eagles game

After controversial officiating in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 27-13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 15, social media posts spread incorrect claims that the game’s referees had been suspended. 

“BREAKING NEWS: The referees in the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers have been suspended after the match revealed that the officials overlooked numerous errors by the Eagles, severely impacting the outcome of the game, leading (Steelers head coach) Mike Tomlin to make harsh statements that shocked fans,” a Dec. 17 Facebook post said. 

The post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

Fans and some players argued the officiating in the Steelers’ Dec. 15 loss unfairly favored the host Eagles. In one instance, some said referees failed to call Eagles cornerback Darius Slay for throwing a punch during a scuffle late in the first quarter, while Steelers players were called for other fouls on the same play.

A comment in the Facebook post linked to a blog post on tintinhthanh.online, a website The article included a quote attributed to Tomlin, in which he purportedly said the team was “exploring all legal avenues” and had demanded a rematch. 

But there’s no evidence the league punished the referees for their calls or that Tomlin made such statements. The site that originated this claim has other articles with sensational and misleading claims about sports stars and celebrities, some of which we have fact-checked before. 

We found no credible news outlets reporting that the officials had been suspended. And the NFL’s public press releases and social media channels show no such announcements. We contacted an NFL spokesperson but did not hear back. 

We’ve seen similar claims originating on social media about controversial calls by referees, and we’ve rated them False. 

This post is also False.

By

Caleb McCullough

Staff writer

December 30, 2024

Truth-o-meter Ruling

False

IF YOUR TIME IS SHORT

• There are no credible news stories or NFL statements proving this claim.

Statement

“The referees in the (Dec. 15) game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers have been suspended after the match revealed that the officials overlooked numerous errors by the Eagles.”

Context

a Facebook post

Speaker/Target

Speaker: Facebook posts

Statement Date

December 17, 2024