Steelers' Najee Harris Blasts NFL Referees After Week 7 Win: "They're Too Soft"

The Pittsburgh Steelers just beat the Los Angeles Rams in a harrowing 24-17 game in Week 7. The offense looked much more comfortable and was able to manage the game in the second half, while the defense continued to impress, limiting the Rams to 354 total yards of offense. Even with all the impressive performances, the referee team assigned to the game wasn't too happy with how Pittsburgh was playing, calling two separate taunting penalties along with a questionable blindside block call. Throughout the victory, Pittsburgh fought in an uphill battle - against both the Rams and the referees. 

Both Diontae Johnson and George Pickens were called for taunting, and Johnson's jeopardized the end of the game for the Steelers. Up by a touchdown with two minutes and change left on the clock, Kenny Pickett threw an incomplete pass to Johnson, who was guarded by former Steelers cornerback, Ahkello Witherspoon. Witherspoon was called for pass interference, and while getting up, Johnson exchanged words with Witherspoon. Talking to him and patting him on the back was enough to get called for taunting, offsetting the penalties, and putting Pittsburgh in a tougher third-down situation rather than a first down which would've ended the game. 

Pickens was also called for taunting against the Rams along with an illegal block, which was questionable at best. Both penalties were from interactions with Pickens and Russ Yeast. Witherspoon later commented that the Rams were deliberately picking on Pickens to make him lose his composure and knock him off his game. 

Star running back Najee Harris took notice of the questionable calls against the wide receivers and voiced his opinion, explaining that due to both the nature of football and the difficulty of playing both wide receiver and defensive back, opposing players are going to jaw at each other. 

"We're just competing. Those receivers and [defensive backs], that's just normal. You're gonna do that every play."

Trash talk has also become somewhat of a glorified part of the game of football, as defensive backs like Jalen Ramsey became famous after their word exchanges went viral. Being able to back up your words on the field is a powerful tool, and almost every position on the field uses it. 

Harris also acknowledged that the referees continued their poor reputation in the Steelers game, making those poor taunting calls as well as Pickens' blindside block call. 

"I think [the referees] are a little too soft. It's football, you're gonna talk s**t."

Without exchanging words, the game would become lifeless and not personable. Being able to talk to your opponents and challenge them play after play is what makes football such a unique and intense sport. Eliminating that would eliminate an entire part of football culture and would destroy the game as we know it. While some talking can become extreme and unnecessary, the vast majority is just in competition, and all players shake hands and smile for photos once the game is over. 

NFL referees have been under heavy scrutiny for many years now. While being disliked is a part of the job for any sports referee or official, NFL referees have been under fire for missing multiple calls per game, calling penalties on clean plays, seemingly picking "favorites" to win games, and deciding the outcomes of games due to their poor judgment. 

One of the most famous plays that led to the discrediting of NFL referees was the missed pass interference call in the 2018 NFC Championship game between the Rams and the New Orleans Saints. Missing that call ended the Saints' drive, and they ended up losing in overtime after being forced to kick a field goal instead of being set up in a goal-to-go situation with a defensive pass interference call. 

The Steelers Hate the Referees as much as Anyone

The Steelers have been on the receiving end of some awful calls from NFL referees, making fans and players alike hate them as much as anyone else. Jesse James is a name that pops into any Steelers fan's head when thinking about bad referee calls, as his touchdown catch in the last game of the 2017 regular season was ruled incomplete, eventually making the Steelers lose that game against the New England Patriots. That also lost their bid at a first-round bye, then losing in the Wild Card round. 

With every team, missed calls like holding, pass interference, illegal contact, and many more frustrate fans and players. Calls like the James catch and taunting calls can be detrimental to both the players' mindset and the game itself, along with calls that can count as personal fouls and could eventually end in a fine or ejection. NFL referees have been a problem for the league for many years now, and the problem certainly isn't getting any better. 

What do you think of the fouls called against the Steelers on Sunday? How can the NFL fix the referee issue? Leave your thoughts in a comment below!

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