Josh Allen dismissed accusations of favoritism after NFL fans were thrown into meltdown over the Buffalo Bills quarterback's interaction with a referee on Sunday.
The Bills comfortably advanced to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs with a 31-7 victory over the Denver Broncos at Highmark Stadium.
However, Allen sparked controversy during the Bills' first playoff game when he was caught chatting with referee Bill Vinovich on the sidelines.
During the game, there appeared to be a missed defensive pass interference call on Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II.
Allen was visibly frustrated with the missed call and shortly afterward the CBS broadcast showed Vinovich approaching the Bills bench and speaking to the caller.
The moment caught the attention of many NFL fans, who became suspicious of what they interpreted as a friendly interaction.
NFL referee Bill Vinovich was caught talking to the Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen on the sidelines.
The quarterback later shared the officer's three-word message about the interaction.
However, when asked about the conversation after the game, Allen was quick to clarify that he was, in fact, receiving a reprimand.
“I wasn't happy with what was happening and I was yelling a little bit, and he said, 'Don't yell.' So my bad. I'm sorry,” Allen told reporters.
But the interaction had already caused a storm on social media, with some users claiming that it was the referee who apologized to Allen, and not the other way around.
'I have never seen a referee meet with a QB after a flagrant foul during a game. And so friendly! Never,” wrote ESPN journalist Don Van Natta Jr.
'I've never seen anything like this. “The referee is on his way to the Bills bench to apologize to Josh Allen,” added Broncos reporter Zac Stevens.
Meanwhile, Barstool's Jack Mac looked baffled when he posted: 'Personal apology from referee to Josh Allen. I've seen it all man.'
“Referee apologizing to Josh Allen on the bench is just crazy,” one NFL fan account chimed in.
“If this happened with Patrick Mahomes, opposing fans would be having a complete meltdown,” another said. “Outside the stadium there would be a crowd of crybabies and conspiracy theorists with torches and pitchforks.”
“If a referee approached Patrick Mahomes like that, Twitter would burn to the ground,” echoed one Chiefs fan's account.