In the wake of the Seattle Seahawks heartbreaking 28-26 upset loss to the St. Louis Rams on Sunday, Seahawks safety Earl Thomas was frustrated - frustrated with his team's play, frustrated with the loss - Seattle's second in as many weeks - but also frustrated with what he saw as officiating that seemed to swing almost exclusively in the Rams' favor.
One play in particular irked Thomas, according to The Seattle Times. At the end of the game, the Rams fumbled and it appeared as if Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman recovered, which would have given the Seahawks the ball back with a chance to win or tie the game.
The refs chose not to review the play; the Rams retained possession and ran out the clock.
"Yeah," Thomas told The Times when asked if he was surprised the play wasn't looked at upstairs. "At least give us a shot. But you know what? I'm not surprised with the referees this season. If you really look at some plays, we're playing more than our opponents. We're playing the referees too. I don't care what anybody is saying. Something is wrong. That needs to be brought up."
Thomas said the refs offered no explanation for the ruling and subsequent decision not to review the fumble.
"There's never an explanation. It's kind of crazy how football is turning out now. You give a guy, just because he wears a white and black shirt, he has authority of the game. Man, they need to stay out of it - that's my key - and let us dominate."
Thomas admitted that the loss was mostly due to Seattle's own mistakes and inability to play focused, disciplined football - but added the caveat that the refs are making it harder for them to win than in previous years.
"We've got to understand who we're battling now. We won everything last year. We're battling the referees now. I don't know what's going on with that. We've got to cut out the penalties. That's what's hurting us."
