Are NFL officials biased against the Raiders?
Ask any Raiders fan and they’ll tell you that officiating bias is real. Ask any other fan base and they’ll tell you bad calls go against every team. They aren’t wrong, but do more calls go against the Raiders than everyone else?
A recent breakdown of the data by a website called The Ethical Skeptic made one of the most compelling cases against the NFL’s long-perceived officiating bias against the Raiders and all but proves the league has an agenda against the silver and black.
It’s worth noting in advance that this report was researched and published by a former Naval Intelligence Officer with a bachelors in engineering and a graduate degree in business strategy, ethics and finance. The website, which is not exclusive to covering sports, is dedicated to uncovering the way individuals and organizations work to control populations through manipulation and deception.
Everyone knows the Raiders almost always rank near the top of the league in penalties – that’s been the case for decades (19 times at the top since 1963). That information is easy to process. The popular narrative is that the Raiders are an “undisciplined” team but this has been going on for three decades (under numerous coaching staffs and countless players) and the storyline hasn’t changed in three generations. Is it really the Raiders “undisciplined” culture or is the issue more about a culture within the NFL and it’s officiating crews?
The Ethical Skeptic report started by analyzing what were determined to be “objective” penalties. Essentially, these are the calls officials have no choice but to make (as outlined in the quote below). In theory, so-called “undisciplined” teams should lead the league in these penalties just like any other.
But that apparently isn’t the case:
“Calls for objective violations, such as delay of game, too many players and false starts – things which are not subject to interpretation – analyze these penalties and suddenly every NFL team groups together near the average, including extreme signals in New England and Oakland. These penalties cannot be employed as inflection points of control, so their statistics of course trend towards a more reasonable mean.”
So what type of penalties are being called against the Raiders? According to the report, the Raiders arguably have more drive-altering calls against them than any team in the NFL:
“In the case of the Raiders, the overcall/undercall of penalties is not a matter of coaching discipline, as one might reasonably presume at first blush – rather the vast majority of the penalty incident imbalances involve calls of merely subtle interpretation. Things which can be called on every single play, but for various reasons, are not called for certain teams, and are more heavily called on a few targeted teams – flags thrown or not thrown at critical moments in a drive, or upon a beneficial turnover or touchdown. In the chart to the right (below), one can discern that not only are the Oakland Raiders the most penalized team in the NFL for the 2019 season once again – but as well, the penalties which are thrown are done so at the most crucial times in their games. Times when the opposing team is facing 3rd down and long circumstances and needs a break and an automatic first down in order to sustain a scoring drive. As you may observe in the chart, against the Raiders, a team in such a circumstance bears the greatest likelihood of becoming the recipient of such a critically needed break.”
Not only are the Raiders almost always near the top of the league in penalties, at the top of the league in significant penalties, but what are the chances that if you combined their opponents each week to form a 16-game team, that team would be the second least-penalized team in the NFL?
Yes, we all know about the Tuck Rule and the rumors that a phone call from New York initiated a sequence that led to the implementation of a rule that no one ever knew about.
We still remember the doubled-up index card and the smirk.
In 2019 alone, we remember the “roughing the passer” call against Mo Hurst in New York (to save the Jets drive in the red zone).
We remember Derek Carr being called out of bounds against the Jaguars to stop the clock.
We remember the Hunter Renfrow touchdown being reversed in Denver despite there being no conclusive evidence that the nose of the ball didn’t cross the goal line.
We remember all terrible calls and paired with years of incriminating data, what conclusion is there to be reached other than that the NFL allows, or possibly dictates officiating bias against the Raiders?
Furthermore, take a look at the Ethical Skeptic article and notice the way penalties, or lack thereof, have affected the Patriots. The estimate in there is that the Patriots likely benefited just over 10 points-per-game on account of officiating in 2017… which shouldn’t be surprising to anyone.
By the way, what ever came of the most recent spying episode involving the Patriots? Imagine if the Raiders were caught doing the same.
And why did the league destroy their only copy of the original Spygate?
There’s probably a logical and grossly immoral answer for that, too.
twitter: @raidersbeat
(all quotes are via The Ethical Skeptic)
The NFL is really turning into a joke as far as I’m concerned. For many reasons. And I don’t know about the rest of you but, when I saw the Seattle Suckhawks doing a choreography dance after a TD, I about puked in my beer. What a fuckin joke! **** like that shouldn’t be allowed! It looks like unsportsmanlike conduct to me, not to mention fuckin stupid! What happened to the good ol’ days!?!?…score TD, spike the ball, some high fives, get on with the game. If I wanna watch some stupid dancing ****, I’ll tune into one of the many BS reality shows.
GO RAIDERS!!
i soo agree!!
IMO, The Raiders problems started w/Al and Pete Rozelle back in day. A lotta penalties now, were brought on Raiders of old who played w/reckless abandon …
If that reasoning was true, why are the Steelers not penalized as much as the raiders? Back in the day the “ steel curtain “ certainly did their share of reckless abandon as well.
Because their owner did not sue the NFL or challenged the relocation rules! I’ll Davis dead what do you want, damned be the NFL and the Rooney family never rock the boat whatsoever!
Another thing to question is why do the Raiders almost always play the Broncos and Chiefs on the road after the weather turns and plays those teams at home first when the weather in those cities would not be a factor?
I’ve been saying that for years!
I’ve been saying the same ****. Told my coworker that same thing. I said , why do the Raiders have to always play you late in the season in Arrowhead, and you’re almost always coming off of a bye week.
Yeah, they’ve been doing that as long as I can remember. It should be every other season. The NFL is now more than ever a business, than it is football. Not sure if I can keep watching after 37 years of being a Raiders fan. Hope it doesn’t get worse, but I know it will unfortunately.
Great analysis. All I can say is its a good thing Draymond Green was never a Raider or there’d be twice as many calls.
The AFC wouldn’t be in the NFL if it weren’t for the business maverick of Al Davis. The NFL brass has always hated Davis and his legacy.
Mark Davis is not business savvy like his father. The NFL is eventually going to rid the Davis family from the NFL permanently.
No way Mark Davis affords to pay off all the loans he’s taken out recently. Eventually the Raiders stadium in Vegas will be empty because they won’t have the solid fan base and support long term.
When revenue dwindles and mark defaults on the loans, the rest of the Raider ownership will be forced to sell/relinquish control to the NFL.
People underestimate Mark Davis because he looks like a doofus with that bowl haircut. He got 750 million + from LV to build his new palace. He outmaneuvered Sheldon Adelson, who thought he would get a significant piece of the Raiders by supporting their move. He got nothing and ended up pulling out of the deal. The Raiders are way ahead of projections in selling seat licenses, including more than 30% from outside LV.
Las Vegas has a log of money invested in the Raiders being successful. The casinos have probably got a lot invested in those seat licenses, so they also have a great deal invested in the Raiders being successful. Then, there’s the fact the Raiders only pay $1 a year rent for 30 years. I believe they also control concessions when they are playing in the stadium. They also have naming rights, which they sold to Allegiant Air. Let’s not forget the usual majority NFL revenue stream: TV money.
The City of Oakland wouldn’t play ball. So Oakland got drop kicked. I feel for the fans, but they elected the people that wouldn’t deal with the Raiders, so they got exactly what they deserved.
Your a fucking idiot Ken.
You’re
No, he’s not… He is DEAD NUTS accurate. YOU are a hater. Go hate somewhere else, troll.
Marion, Eric and Ken – could be some inheritance tax issues once Mrs. Davis passes because she is the official majority owner of the Raiders although mark is running the club. Several other long-time family -owned franchises faced similar situations, i.e. the Jack Kent Cooke situation with the Redskins, and were forced to sell because there was not the cash available to pay all of the taxes
That’s ridiculous, did you take into consideration the Las Vegas Stadium has already booked 65 events for fiscal 2020? That stadium in its first year will elevate not negate the Davis fortune. Them owners are going nowhere. Long live the Davis family.
Al Davis was and always will be the Maverick of the NFL , what ever he wanted to do he did. In doing so he made enemies through out the entire league. I remember when there would be league wide votes on different subject s from time to time and Al would be the only vote that not be counted because of his stature in the NFL . But like them or hate them it will always be silver days and black nights !!!! .
This doesn’t surprise me. The Raiders have always been screwed by the NFL. The NFL hated Al Davis. He was a thorn in their side and he held their feet to the fire and he beat them. As for the Patriots; the owner and the commissioner are best friends. The NFL is a joke today. The officials cost us 4 games this year.
I truly believe that important games are decided by the NFL. It’s all a distraction from what is going on in our country. The Romans perfected this and we’re following suit. Even though, I still love my Raiders, and say “**** THE NFL & ROGER GOODELL”
I totally agree and couldn’t have put it any better. I too am sick of how the league is run. Roger Goodell sucks and is so bias its sickening. I’d never pull for anybody but the Raiders and I don’t give a **** who knows it, especially those prick refs. GO RAIDERS!!!!!!
If this matter of penalties against the Raiders was brought into a court room of law, the evidence presented would speak for itself. As a football team owner I would do what the New Orleans Saints Head Coach (Payton) proved. His method of proving his case should have helped the NFL hold to the ethics of fairness and integrity. If the officials continue to call unnecessary penalties, with out any regard to the consequences that result in the loss of revenue, give the officials a REAL REASON to call the penalty for what it is. If the Raiders and the fans are infuriated with the officiating body of officials giving the Raiders penalties they don’t deserve, I say give them (officials) what they so wish for. Let’s revert back to playing the way Lyle Alzado played the game. You want a penalty Mr. Official, here you go. Read em and weep. You got what you asked for!!! If you as a player are going to be held liable for something that the official saw, while the rest of the world witnessed the TRUTH on instant replay, here you go! Call a spade ♠️ for what it TRUELLY is. A spade.♠️ Go (penalty free) LAS VEGAS RAIDERS!!! 🏴☠️
Just because the officials call more penalties on the Raiders, doesn’t mean it will be easy to prove collusion. I’m not an attorney, but actually suing the NFL seems, on the surface, to be a non-starter.
The League is totally biased against the Raiders. Always has, always will. So please, spare me the details of the Raiders in the 70’s. They are long gone from that. Just remember this, Iv’e seen numerous times, where referees would shake tom bradys hand, and even get an autograph, and picture with him. They would even shake his hand after a game. I saw a game a few years back where the dophins played new england. I saw holding, offsides, pass interference penalties everywhere by new england, and Not One of them were called. The NFL is fixed.
Sure is. I think Mark Davis took it up the *** when we got screwed out of coming to Los Angeles. The Raiders were the only team that their city had no plans on building them a stadium. According to the NFL’s laws, if a team’s city is working with them on getting a new stadium, they are not allowed to up and leave. I think they told Mark, if u let this happen, we’ll give u a new stadium in Vegas, and we’ll erase ur dad’s history with us and you’ll be fine moving forward once ur in Vegas.
Al Davis would’ve sued the **** out of the NFL if they did that to him. Mark is a bitch and a coke head. I know a Doctor who treated his drug infested ***. No wonder Al called him an idiot.
What about all the cross country “road games” the Raiders are always made to travel year after year? Especially when they have to do their annual trip to other countries & it’s always considered a home game? I remember couple yrs ago them talking about the Steelers & how they didn’t even travel out of their time zone one time that year👎🏽
Just saying, if you watch a full season this is so absurdly obvious. NFL is corrupt, the fix is in.
My boy Las Vegas is mob city…… playoffs next year because officials getting paid off
Truly Amazing that The NFL still HATES a Man that has been Dead Over 8 years…
Remember… The NFL is Organized, NOT as a Sports Organization, but as an Entertainment Entity…. Exactly yhe Same Designation as the WWE !!!
I am a lifetime Raider fan and I cannot stomach another year of some of the worst calls ever. These calls in 2019 were some of the worst game sustaining calls for our opponents that I can remember. Not to mention the amount of touchdowns called back. WE ARE LOSING GAMES BECAUSE OF IT!
WHO CAN WE WRITE TO? SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE! CAN WE SEND LETTERS TO THE OFFICIATING COMMITTEE?
Yes, 90% of the time close calls go against the Raiders and if you pay attention all of the non-calls or flags start popping more and more during 3rd and 4th quarter in favor of the Patriots, refs. make it seem there been fair for the 1st 2 quarters but 3rd and 4th its all on Patriots favor… I hope there is a Tech guy out there to make a video of all the bad calls vs. the Raiders since the tuck rule… AS FAR AS THE PATRIOTS CHEATING THEY JUST PROBABLY HAVE ONLY 2 SUPER BOWLS WON IF ANY.
Have to love seeing when the Raiders are in LA playing the Chargers and the Raider fan base is 80-90% Oakland. makes you wonder why they didn’t let the Raiders go to LA instead of the Chargers.. Dumb-asses..
If we only could do anything about it. I’ve been saying we need to be able to hold the officials accountable for their actions. I feel as if the game is fix and nothing will change my mind about that when it comes to the tuck you rule. A 10 min stop in the game for a fumble that Brady finally admits it was a fumble. How about the year before when Tony Saragouse belly flopped on Rich Gannon while he was on the ground and broke his shoulder. No roughing the passer on that call. Or the year before that with the Seattle game when we forced a fumble and recovered it which momentum brought him in the endzone and we were called for a saftey. That game kept us out of the playoffs. I have lost a lot of interest in the game due to all of this.
They got to cheat us to beat us
I’m glad someone finally brought this to light. I’v been a Raider fan since 1968 and seen a lot of those bad calls. I thought a lot it would change when they started instant replay, but it hasn’t changed at all when it concerns the Raiders. A lot of teams have had bad calls against them, but not nearly as many as the Raiders. I’d like to see a movement to boycott these upcoming playoff games and SB for the sake of all the fans. If they just lost 15 percent of the tv revenue while trying to sale those automobiles,beers and insurance policies. That’s when we’ll see change.
All any of us want is for these refs to call a fair game!! If the ones that are calling the games can’t do that, maybe it’s time we start replacing them with ones who can and will!! Or is it that the NFL has just become full of political bullshit and they write the script for each game…who will win and who will lose?? I wish I knew the answers!!!
Isn’t it funny(not) take for instant in Denver raider goes over top first play you see the ball break the line than all of a sudden they don’t show that replay again and the NFL (national fraud league) does that to Raider plays over and over to cover there BS lies
It all goes back when Al moved the Raiders to LA without a league vote.Al sued Rozelle and league won and moved to LA.So why is the league gonna help us with anything?Ive seen all the obvious blown calls for over 40 years!
If this is true, then this evidence should come to light in the mainstream media. This would be a big blow to the NFL and its credibility. The NFL would lose billions of dollars in annual revenue when fans realize the truth, that the NFL does indeed rig the outcome of games through their employed referees. There should be an independent, unbiased sub-contracted organization of referees and umpires, for all professional and collegiate sports for that matter, to officiate these games fairly! That’s not too much to ask! As a longtime Raider fan, I’m tired of these refs making bad calls against the Raiders or any NFL team. Just a fairly called game from here on out!!! Then we can have a clear cut Champion every year that is the actual best team that deserves to win, instead of the Patriots somehow, someway winning the SuperBowl just because Goodell and The Kraft family share Christmas together every year!!!
My question is now that you know there is corruption within the league as there has always been what’s going to be done about it I figure a lot of firing should go on Maybe a couple of fines
So… I always found it funny that the year of 9/11 we have a very patriotic team win the Superbowl when we needed to be patriotic because our government made it look like we were being attacked by another country. ( If you really think rich white fucks care about us, you’re wrong.) Not to mention that the Patriots creamed Josh Allan this year. What happened, nothing. Owner is banging whores for money. Nothing happened. Watched Gilmore draped all over receivers, never looking at the ball, get away with p.i. on most plays. Another spying incedent, nothing happened. Saint’s get screwed out of the Superbowl last year thanks to a p.i. play that was not called. I wonder if the NFL can run on just Massachusetts population alone.
Listen I’m a raider fan I wish the raiders stayed in oakland but oakland made it impossible to stay so quit bashing mark Davis Vegas is the smartest thing he could have done money wise.and officials need to be fined for bad calls or clear non calls get into there pockets this might help change things everything should be reviewable in the 4th quarter and not let officials decide outcome of games I’m sick of seeing the raiders and all teams lose to refs Rodger Goodell is a piece of ****
Mark Davis never lifted a finger to stay in the Bay Area. He’s too broke and stupid to get a stadium built. But crybabies try to blame Oakland fans for not building him a stadium.
SF didn’t build the niners a stadium.
Dallas didn’t build cowgirls a stadium
NY didn’t build Jets a stadium.
Boston didn’t build Patsies a stadium.
But ALL of them got new stadiums in their home market.
While stupid, broke clown Mark davis lost the 8mil bay area market.
Now we will play 16 road games per year in the middle of nowhere in a city the size of sacramento that has the lowest average incomes in the USA.
**** MARK DAVIS!
go raiders
After watching the first quarter of Tennessee I agree
It’s funny I have left comments about all the different coaches, and thousands of players the Raiders have had, and yet were always on the top or near it in penalties, it just doesn’t add up!!!! I’m glad he looked into this, and did this article. I am so sick of the refs sticking it to us, i have decided not to watch any of the playoffs this season, and so far i haven’t watched a single down, why should us Raider fans give them the big ratings the NFL desires, if all of Raider Nation did the same we could take a big chunk of their ratings away , and send them a message, that we wont stand for this crap!
Send this to the NFL headquarters!
Thanks for this excellent article. One more thing to mention is that nearly all digital cameras are available equipped with the zoom lens so that more or less of any scene to be included by means of ‘zooming’ in and out. These kinds of changes in the aim length are generally reflected in the viewfinder and on large display screen right on the back of this camera.
There are certainly a whole lot of details like that to take into consideration. That may be a great point to convey up. I supply the ideas above as general inspiration however clearly there are questions like the one you convey up the place a very powerful thing might be working in trustworthy good faith. I don?t know if best practices have emerged round issues like that, however I’m certain that your job is clearly recognized as a fair game. Both boys and girls really feel the impact of only a moment抯 pleasure, for the rest of their lives.