Garrett Wilson Implies NFL Referee Is Biased Against Ohio State Alums

Late in Saturday’s playoff collapse, Chargers star defensive end Joey Bosa received a pair of unsportsmanlike penalties that proved to be costly in his team’s 31–30 loss to the Jaguars. The first such penalty drew the attention of Jets receiver Garrett Wilson, who defended the fellow Ohio State alum after the decision.

Bosa was hit with the first unsportsmanlike conduct foul when he appeared to say something to referee Shawn Smith late in the third quarter. After the penalty was called, Wilson took to Twitter to comment on Smith, accusing him of being biased against former Ohio State players.

“That ref. He don’t [f— with] buckeyes. I see he getting on Bosa’s nerve tonight,” Wilson wrote of Smith.

A few minutes later, another Twitter user responded to Wilson, claiming that Smith is from Michigan. That was enough for the Jets receiver to draw a conclusion.

“It all adding up now,” Wilson responded.

There’s truth in the idea that Smith has spent ample time in Michigan. He ran track and played football at Eastern Michigan before transferring to Ferris State, according to Football Zebras. Currently, Smith works as an internal auditor in Southfield, Mich. However, there’s no evidence to support the notion that he has a vendetta against Ohio State alums. 

This weekend wasn’t the first time that Wilson has publicly aired his grievances about the NFL’s officiating during his rookie season. Earlier in the year, he claimed that an official told him “this ain’t O State no more” when he was hoping for a call to go in his favor.

Wilson said that the game in which he heard that remark was a home game against the Patriots, which took place on Oct. 30. Coincidentally, or perhaps not, Smith worked that same game as the crew chief.

Wilson didn’t identify the official in question at the time and said he couldn’t remember the official’s number when he tweeted about the encounter in December.

Despite his gripes with the officiating this year, Wilson managed just fine in his first year out of Ohio State. The former Buckeyes standout broke the Jets’ franchise record for most receiving yards in a season by a rookie (1,103) on 83 catches and with four touchdowns. Wilson also led all NFL rookies in receiving yards and receptions this season.