Micah Parsons Calls Out Referees' Double Standards After TNF Holding Call
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The Green Bay Packers are obviously thrilled with the hot start to the season by top pass rusher Micah Parsons. Their star acquisition before the season has worked out perfectly for them so far, as he has looked like arguably the best defender in the league through the first six weeks. Yet, both the Packers and Parsons believe there could be another level for him if he were officiated fairly.
During Thursday Night Football, Parsons' frustrations hit another level during the fourth quarter when Pittsburgh Steelers left tackle Broderick Jones was called for a holding penalty (h/t @TedBuddy8) on Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Myles Murphy. Parsons was quick to point out the inconsistency, taking to X to post "Lol they just hate uno," referring to the NFL officials and himself, respectively.
Micah Parsons Continues to Blast Referees After TNF Holding Call
The 26-year-old is right in pointing out the double standard. In the fourth quarter of Week 6, Bengals LT Orlando Brown Jr. essentially tackled Parsons to the ground without a flag. In quarterback Joe Flacco's 46 dropbacks, the Bengals were not called for a single holding penalty. Against a Packers team that has Parsons and generates a ton of QB pressure, that is hard to believe.
This has been a major talking point for Parsons and the Packers all week. The former Cowboys star addressed this in his remarks to the press on Thursday, saying, "Five years of not getting a call, you eventually stop worrying about it... They want to load the points up so fans can be happy. They’ll call defensive holding, but they won’t call offensive holding."
Even though Parsons said that he stopped worrying about it, that is obviously not the case. He has been complaining about the same thing when he was in Dallas, and that hasn't changed since arriving in Titletown.
Unfortunately, that is the life of a physically dominant pass rusher. When dealing with a physically overwhelming player like Parsons, referees aren't going to call holding every time there is a brief holding. Referees also don't want to call offensive holding as much for obvious reasons.
Head coach Matt LaFleur also talked about this discrepancy in officiating on Thursday, suggesting that they may be sending tape to the league office and have a conversation before the game about uncalled holding penalties. Whether any of this has any impact in Week 7, positive or negative, remains to be seen.