The tension surrounding NFL officiating has taken another turn this week, as Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has reportedly requested that the league reassign the officiating crew scheduled to handle the team’s Week 10 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.
According to multiple league sources, Tomlin’s request directly mentions concerns over referee conduct and game integrity, specifically citing a pattern of controversial and inconsistent calls from the crew led by one of the NFL’s most criticized referees this season.
Since the start of the 2025 season, the officiating group in question has faced heavy scrutiny following a string of highly questionable performances in nationally televised games. Multiple fan bases, analysts, and even league insiders have used terms like “
Rigging Calls” and “Cheating” to describe what they believe to be a recurring lack of consistency and fairness.
The scrutiny intensified after two recent matchups, Jaguars vs. Chiefs (Week 5)
and Eagles vs. Rams (Week 6), both of which ended in waves of formal complaints from teams and players alike. The NFL’s Officiating Department reportedly received multiple written protests citing “phantom penalties” and “officiating bias,” with internal reviews still ongoing.
That referee is Brad Rogers, whose crew has already been temporarily suspended once earlier this season for internal evaluation after logging 19 flags in a single game, far above the league average.
Speaking to the media after the Steelers’ practice on Tuesday, Mike Tomlin didn’t mince words:
“We respect the game, and we respect fair competition. But when consistency is questioned week after week, it affects everyone, players, coaches, and fans. All we’re asking for is a level playing field.”
Sources later confirmed that the Los Angeles Chargers organization privately agreed with Pittsburgh’s concerns and supported the request to replace the officiating crew. A team representative reportedly stated that “both teams deserve a fair and balanced game,” emphasizing that the Chargers “fully stand behind any effort that protects the integrity of competition.”
The NFL has yet to publicly confirm whether Tomlin’s request will be granted, though league officials are said to be reviewing the situation “with urgency” given the growing public criticism of officiating quality this season.
If the league moves forward with the reassignment, it would mark one of the few instances in recent memory where a head coach’s formal objection successfully led to a midweek officiating change, a decision that could send ripples through the rest of the season.
