Travis Kelce and the Chiefs are set to face their biggest test of the 2025 season against the Bills in Week 9, and given their recent matchups, there's a fairly good chance that the game's officiating will be under heavy scrutiny.
The head referee for Sunday's contest is reportedly Carl Cheffers, an official with whom Kelce has particularly notorious history.
Years ago following a Chiefs' 2016 playoff loss to the Steelers, Kelce ripped the officiating crew in his postgame media availability, targeting Cheffers in particular.
"Ref No. 51 [Cheffers] shouldn't even be able to wear a zebra jersey ever again,'' Kelce said. "He shouldn't even be able to work at f---ing Foot Locker.
"For it to end like that, with the referee literally taking it out of our hands, that hurts," continued Kelce. "You try to play this game with integrity, to the end of the whistle, and when the refs want to take over the game and make it their own platform, there's nothing you can do about it. That wasn't a hold on my guy Eric Fisher. I hope [Fisher] doesn't go the entire offseason thinking it was his fault. That was horse----, flat out."
Here's the resurfaced video of that heated moment from January 2017:
Travis Kelce on referee Carl Cheffers after the Steelers/Chiefs 2016 AFC divisional round game. pic.twitter.com/nz5Nnk4W2g
— Chase Snyder (@ChasingSnyder) February 8, 2021
Kelce's harsh criticisms came in the wake of officiating controversy late in the Chiefs' loss: then-Chiefs LT Eric Fisher was flagged for a holding penalty that wiped away what would have been a game-tying two-point conversion with three minutes remaining in the contest. The Steelers ended up winning, 18-16, to advance to the AFC championship game.
Kelce later was fined $12,500 for his postgame comments and apologized directly to Cheffers. "Carl, I apologize for saying it in that manner," the Chiefs tight end said.
What's past is in the past, and Kelce likely regrets going after Cheffers so publicly after an emotional postseason loss. Cheffers has gained a somewhat infamous reputation among Chiefs fans after he worked as the head referee for the Chiefs' Super Bowl LV loss to the Bucs, a game in which Kansas City was called for a Super Bowl-record eight penalties for 95 yards in the first half.
Cheffers, who's considered one of the more experienced referees in the league with three Super Bowl assignments under his belt, also worked Super Bowl LVII when the Chiefs beat the Eagles 38-35, for what it's worth.
If all goes well Sunday, Cheffers won't draw any negative attention to his crew, and both the Chiefs and Bills will walk away with a fair result—one can dream, anyway. Kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m. ET at Buffalo.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Travis Kelce’s ‘Foot Locker’ Quote About NFL Ref Resurfaces Ahead of Chiefs vs. Bills.
