A few people seemed up in arms after referee Bill Vinovich was spotted having a conversation with Bills quarterback Josh Allen following a controversial non-call, but in the end, appearances weren’t what they seemed to be.
Allen told reporters after the game that the conversation that was beamed to viewers on the CBS broadcast of the Bills’ lopsided 31-7 home win over the Broncos had been Vinovich telling the Buffalo QB to calm down.
Allen had been heated after it looked like the refs missed a very clear defensive pᴀss interference on Denver corner Patrick Surtain II while he defended Bills тιԍнт end Dalton Kincaid on Sunday.
The clip that aired made it appear as though Vinovich was apologizing to Allen for the missed call.
However, the reality was a bit different.
“I wasn’t happy with what was going on and I was yelling a little bit, and he just said, ‘don’t be yellin.’ So, my bad. Sorry Bill,” Allen said after the game.
When asked directly if Vinovich had apologized, Allen was a bit more coy.
“I won’t say anything about that,” he replied with a smirk.
As one of the league’s stars, it’s not too surprising that some people’s minds went right to something a bit more nefarious or the presumption that Allen was on the receiving end of some sort of special treatment.
Social media fanned those flames with posts by a number of people that made some implications about the situation.
“I have never seen a referee huddle with a QB after a blatant missed call during a game. And so friendly! Never,” ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. wrote on X.
“Personal apology from the ref to Josh Allen. I’ve seen it all man,” Barstool personality Jack Mac wrote.
Buffalo’s win sets them up for a meeting with the Ravens in the AFC divisional round.
