Shannon Sharpe rants about ‘delusional’ Troy Aikman as NFL referee criticism grows

Shannon Sharpe has the referees’ backs against the likes of the “delusional” Troy Aikman.

Sharpe specifically called out Aikman for his critical remarks against the referees this postseason while also railing against what the Hall of Fame tight end believes is “pandering” to Bills quarterback Josh Allen after a controversial call went against Buffalo in the AFC Conference championship game.

“If we think for one second that every official in every sport is going to get every call right, you’re delusional,” Sharpe said on his “Nightcap” show. “And for athletes that have played the game, they’re delusional because now they’re pandering. Troy knows damn well people gambled on the games when he played. They didn’t get every call right. It’s impossible. There’s no such thing as ‘Guess what? We got every call right in the game.’ … You know what it is? Now, Josh Allen, their fan favorite, didn’t get to go (to the Super Bowl), Patrick Mahomes going again, now it’s an issue.”

The referees have become a storyline this postseason for their questionable calls that have gone the Chiefs’ way during their two wins that set up their Super Bowl 2025 clash vs. the Eagles.

Some have accused the NFL of being rigged or pro-Chiefs, while others like Aikman have simply demanded that the referees be better.

Aikman called the Chiefs’ win over the Texans in the divisional round, which featured two debatable calls that went the Chiefs’ way, including an unnecessary roughness call against Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes during a scramble that elicited an “Oh, come on” remark from Aikman.

Both calls came during drives that resulted in points, with the first infraction negating a third-down incompletion.

“I know the officials have a tough job,” Aikman said on the “SI Media with Jimmy Traina” podcast. “We’ve gotten more advanced with instant replay, those guys, it seems, have become more and more scrutinized and the game has not become less controversial, it’s become more controversial.

“I just think we are at a point, and this is tipped a little bit because the league is partners with a number of these gambling services. So here you are promoting gambling, people are gambling more than they have ever before and those types of calls, there’s a lot at stake regardless, but especially when you’re considering there’s a lot of money that’s changing hands with these calls as well. I think that we owe it to the fans that we get it right, and I think that we are at a point and time where we can. We can get it more right. That was really my position and just trying to lean on the NFL and say, ‘Hey, we gotta fix this. We’ve got to address this in the offseason.’”

Sharpe disagreed with Aikman’s premise while adding that he is not in favor of games becoming even longer so they can try to get every call correct.

“Now, all of a sudden, Troy wants the refs to be perfect,” Sharpe said alongside “Nightcap” co-host Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson. “Since he’s away from the game — make the refs be perfect. Troy, were they perfect when you played? Bro, y’all need to stop. ‘There’s a lot of money that’s changing hands with these calls. I think we owe it to the fans that we get it right, and think we’re at the point where sometimes we can.’ So, we gonna get every call right?”

Aikman did not call the Chiefs’ win over the Bills in the AFC Championship game, which featured a controversial ball spot that led to a Bills turnover on downs in the fourth quarter.

Sharpe believes folks would not be as outraged had Buffalo not lost yet again to Kansas City, with Allen falling to 0-4 vs. Mahomes in the playoffs.

“I just hate this pandering. I see a lot of people now all of a sudden, ‘Oh, poor Josh.’ Oh, I feel so bad for him, when they never felt bad for any other quarterback,” Sharpe said. “NFL do the best they possibly can.”

He added: “I hate this pity party for Josh Allen.”