There’s nothing I love more than a multi-billion dollar business deflecting blame for their mistakes onto their employees. The NFL reportedly blames Eagles and Chiefs players for the slip-fest in Super Bowl 57, citing their selection of incorrect cleats as the main issue. And, of course, the NFL decided to bitch about this behind closed doors and opted to keep their sentiments private.

On Monday, ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio reported that the NFL is privately blaming Eagles/Chiefs players for the constant slipping, according to his sources.

“The NFL has an unofficial excuse for the situation, one that has been communicated when owners ask about it. Per a league source, the league blames the players for not wearing the right shoes. (The Eagles changed their cleats — and it didn’t seem to matter.)”

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I really hate being a conspiracy theorist when it comes to sports. Maybe it’s because my kid-brain wants to believe sports are incorruptible; a place where the best man or team wins, regardless of exterior forces.

This latest report from Florio definitely throws a wrench into that ideology.

First of all, the playing surface for the biggest sporting event in the country should never be in this bad of shape. Regardless of whether the NFL informed the teams about the situation, it shouldn’t even reach that point.

Per some unofficial slip stats, the field clearly affected the Eagles more than the Chiefs. Mostly because the Eagles’ pass rush relies heavily on their athleticism and speed off the edge; which was rendered useless by the sloppy conditions.

The Chiefs were somehow more prepared for the field conditions than the Eagles. Probably because the guy who took care of the field leading up to kickoff, George Toma (AKA The SodFather) is a lifelong Chiefs fan who worked at Arrowhead for over 40 years, was given a Super Bowl ring by the organization after 2020, and has season tickets for Chiefs games.

Yeah, I’m sure he didn’t say anything to anyone in the Chiefs’ organization about this. Not a peep. Give me a break.

This whole field condition issue seemed to die down as the offseason progressed, but it’s gained some momentum in recent weeks.

In a recent interview, Brandon Graham said the Chief’s o-line was “blessed” to face Philly’s pass rush on a slippery field.

“You need that traction to be able to get off the block and we were slipping a lot,” Graham said. “I don’t make excuses. I just know that that’s what was being talked about, us trying to get out of our own head a little bit, too. I’m telling you that O-line, they got blessed, I’ll say that.”

After Florio’s report started making the rounds on Monday, former Eagle CJ Gardner-Johnson decided to weigh in as well.

In the end, we obviously can’t change the outcome of the game or ‘run it back,’ as CJGJ suggests. But if you don’t think this bullshit field played a role in the outcome of the game, I’d like to try whatever drugs you’ve been using.

The Eagles had opportunities to win the game, even with the feld conditions clearly favoring KC. So, we don’t need to turn into San Francisco-east here and start blaming our shortcomings on everything but ourselves.

It’s just wild that the field conditions were that bad, and it’s even crazier that the NFL is blaming the players for it.

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Mandatory Credit: AP Photo