The NFL has officially suspended the entire seven-member officiating crew that worked Sunday’s wild showdown between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers, following a league investigation into a series of highly questionable calls that appeared to tilt the game’s outcome.
The Bengals edged out a 33–31 victory in a thriller that quickly turned into chaos — but it was the officiating, not the scoreboard, that dominated headlines afterward. Missed holding penalties, a questionable roughing-the-passer call, and a late-game pass interference flag against the Steelers all fueled outrage from fans, players, and analysts alike.
Sources close to the NFL Board of Governors confirmed that after reviewing game footage and internal communications, the league determined there were “multiple inconsistencies in enforcement and judgment.” All seven officials have been suspended pending a full review.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, visibly furious in his postgame press conference, refused to elaborate but dropped a chilling six-word comment that instantly went viral:
“This isn’t football anymore. It’s theater.”
That single line ignited a social media firestorm — with “#ThisIsntFootball” trending within minutes. Fans across the league called for transparency, while former players accused the NFL of “protecting certain storylines” instead of the integrity of the game.
Even rival coaches weighed in anonymously, one saying:
“If Mike Tomlin’s saying that out loud, something’s really wrong behind the scenes.”
The NFL has not yet released an official statement addressing Tomlin’s remarks but confirmed that an internal audit of officiating standards is underway.
For the Steelers, the loss drops them to 3–4 — but the bigger battle may now be off the field, as pressure mounts for the league to restore credibility amid growing fan distrust.
As one fan posted:
“We didn’t lose to the Bengals — we lost to the refs.”
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