Throughout much of the inaugural AAF season, referees and replay booth officials have been praised for transparency and a job well done, but that completely went out the window on Saturday evening as the Orlando Apollos mounted an impressive comeback victory over the Memphis Express.
After the loss, Express head coach Mike Singletary, reacting to a missed delay of game penalty late in the fourth quarter, credited his faith for not losing it on the officials.
“Praise God I didn’t do something. I’m not going to lie to you. Praise God I didn’t do something. Please understand where I’m coming from. I say that with all sincerity. I know that my mom taught me something or you’d be talking about me tonight,” Singletary said via The Daily Memphian.
While Singletary held himself in check, some of his players, including former New York Giants tight end Adrien Robinson, did not.
Immediately following the loss, players stormed the field and were heard on open microphones curing at the officials.
“It only makes sense,” Singletary said. “We are human. I’d like to say ‘He shouldn’t have done that. They shouldn’t have gone out there and gotten in the refs face.'”
While Robinson’s outburst drew the most attention, former Giants cornerback Charles James II also had a piece to say on Twitter following the game.
James later deleted a tweet referencing the league’s potential collapse, but added, “Long story short, refs took the game from us smh. [Expletive] was worse than the Saints game.”
After a hot start, the AAF seems to have run into some issues both on and off the field, and Saturday’s poor officiating is not likely to encourage NFL fans who are already beyond frustrated with the referees to watch.
