Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice was on hand at Super Bowl LIV to cheer his former team, the San Francisco 49ers. Unfortunately, the Niners came up short and fell 31-20 to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The game was not without a little officiating controversy. Another Hall of Fame receiver, Terrell Owens, on Monday criticized the officials during his weekly 95.7 The Game interview, saying, "The NFL should be ashamed of themselves."
On Wednesday, it was Rice's turn on 95.7 The Game to criticize the officiating, including the same penalty that Owens noted — the offensive pass interference call against tight end George Kittle right before halftime. It was a negated play that could have given San Francisco a lead heading into the second half. Instead, the team had to settle for a 10-10 tie.
"We had some bad calls too against us," Rice said on the "Joe, Lo and Dibs" show. "The one right with Kittle right before halftime. I'm like, 'Are you serious? Come on!' I understand if you really extend your arm but let the players play.
"Then the one with, I think, (Travis) Kelce; that interference. Then the one that, I guess, was a touchdown with the guy (Damien Williams). I felt he stepped out of bounds before he stuck the ball over the pylon.
"You can't make excuses or anything like that. We had a chance. We lost the game probably in the last five minutes. We were right in the ball game.
"It was devastating for me. It's something that I can't get over right now. It's going to take a while, and I'm hoping it's the same way for the players."
Rice doesn't want to hear about a Super Bowl slump, though. He believes the 49ers can compete next season.
"I think it's a team that's going to make a run next year," Rice said. "I don't want to say it was a big surprise, but to see what they did this past season, that has to be very encouraging for the players, for the organization, for the coaches.
"Yeah, you came up a little short. And I have been on that end before when I was with the Oakland Raiders, and we lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so I know what that feeling feels like. It's not a good feeling, but you just get back in there and start grinding again. You get focused, and you just try to get back to the Super Bowl."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Rice below.
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