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Joey Bosa 'sick' of NFL referees after Los Angeles Chargers loss to Jacksonville Jaguars
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- Joey Bosa 'sick' of NFL referees after Los Angeles Chargers loss to Jacksonville Jaguars
Garrett Wilson already spoke on behalf of Joey Bosa during Saturday's AFC Wild Card game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Los Angeles Rams .
After Bosa said something to referee Shawn Smith that led to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, Wilson, a former Ohio State and current New York Jets wide receiver, tweeted that the referee was getting on the Los Angeles Chargers outside linebacker's nerves.
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After the Chargers' 31-30 loss to the Jaguars, Bosa confirmed this frustration.
"I'm sick of those... people," Bosa told ESPN when asked about the referee's performance Saturday.
"I do really, really want to say some things. I need to be more accountable for my actions, obviously, but it's a heated game and I'm hurting out there, I'm playing on half a leg, I'm getting dragged to the ground, whatever, could hurt me along with screwing our team, and yeah, maybe some of 'em weren't as blatant as I thought, but I don't know. I think there just needs to be more accountability. I mean, if I say something to them I get a $40,000 fine but if they blow a call that ruins an entire team's season they get to − they'll probably be back in the locker room after the game like, 'Haha ... got him 15 yards, what a loser.'
"I guarantee it, that's what they're ... talking like in the back. Whatever power trip. I'm sick of those ... people."
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After a three-penalty performance, including two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties that helped the Jaguars close the gap and eventually end the Chargers' season, Bosa admitted he needs to not scream or say anything toward the referee.
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"But how is it fair for me, who is out there playing my butt off and there's a missed call and I say something, and he's going to run up in my face — what grow man in a position that he's in, 'Oh, what did you say to me? What did you say to me?' Like he's antagonizing me to — 'Oh, he said it, there we go, got him,' " Bosa said.
FILE - Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Joey Bosa (97) looks on before an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 25, 2022, in Inglewood, Calif. Bosa took part in 15 snaps during practice on Thursday's Dec. 29, 2022, after he was designated to return from injured reserve. The seventh-year linebacker has missed the last 12 games after tearing his right groin on Sept. 25 against the Jaguars. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong, File)
Returning for his third game since a groin injury sidelined him for the majority of the 2022 season, Bosa recorded one tackle and one quarterback hit against the Jaguars.
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The former No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft out of Ohio State finished the season with 2.5 sacks, three tackles, for loss, six quarterback hits and 10 tackles.
In seven seasons with the Chargers, Bosa is a four-time Pro Bowl player after winning the Associated Press' Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2016.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Los Angeles Chargers OLB Joey Bosa 'sick' of NFL referees
