Legendary NFL HC was not pleased with officiating at controversial Super Bowl 2022
Former NFL head coach Tony Dungy was and is still one of the most revered and respected former coaches the league has seen in quite some time. His stoic demeanor and penchant for creating havoc for opposing offenses are just two of the calling cards for the Hall of Fame coach.
Dungy recently commented on Twitter about his thoughts on how the referees officiated Super Bowl LVI, where the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20.
"The officials were determined to ignore every violation when the ball was in play and only call false starts, delay of game and taunting," Dungy wrote. "They maintained that posture for 58 minutes and 39 seconds. Then they started officiating. That was bad."
The officials were determined to ignore every violation when the ball was in play and only call false starts, delay of game and taunting. They maintained that posture for 58 minutes and 39 seconds. Then they started officiating. That was bad. twitter.com/benjaminswatso…
The former head coach was referring to how the big game was officiated by the NFL referees. Up until the last few minutes of the fourth quarter, referees were rarely heard from in terms of calling penalties.
But in the last few minutes of the game, the officials apparently were making up for the time and calls that they missed as the yellow flags began flying all across the field.
After having only two penalties called for both teams combined in the first 58 minutes of the game, there were three consecutive penalties called against the Bengals that many believe helped determine the outcome of the game.
A holding call on linebacker Logan Wilson, an unnecessary roughness call on safety Vonn Bell and a pass interference call on cornerback Eli Apple all helped place the football at the one-yard line for the Rams.
This led to Matthew Stafford throwing a one-yard touchdown pass to eventual Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp.
The former head coach also gave his thoughts on the three consecutive penalties called against the Bengals in the final two minutes of the game, and in particular, the holding call against Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson:
"No. That was an obvious penalty," Dungy wrote. "But there were several in the first 3 1/2 quarters. Officials would not call obvious penalties. The three calls against the Bengals defense at the end were all fouls. But how could you call them after letting everything before that go? Crazy."
@Dilts22 No. That was an obvious penalty. But there were several in the first 3 1/2 quarters. Officials would not call obvious penalties. The 3 calls against the Bengals defense at the end were all fouls. But how could you call them after letting everything before that go? Crazy.
When did Tony Dungy last coach in the NFL?
After many years in the NFL as an assistant coach and coordinator, Tony Dungy first became a head coach in 1996 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
After leading the team from obscurity to the brink of the Super Bowl in 1999, he was unceremoniously fired in 2002 but was almost immediately offered (and accepted) a head coaching job with the Indianapolis Colts.
Dungy coached the Colts from 2002-2008 with the prize of his coaching career coming in 2006 as his team won Super Bowl XLI with quarterback Peyton Manning named as the NFL Super Bowl MVP.
The 2008 season was his last as head coach of the Colts and the last time he coached in the NFL. For all his efforts, the former Buccaneers head coach was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2016.