After the Rams' controversial 26-23 win over the Saints on Sunday, Todd Gurley started a mini-controversy of his own when he posted a picture on Instagram that showed the Rams running back doing a postgame jersey swap with NFC title game referee Bill Vinovich.
Now, before we move on here, the first thing that should probably be pointed out is that the picture was 100 percent photoshopped. Gurley DID NOT swap jerseys with any member of the officiating crew after the game. However, the photoshop job, which you can see below, was so convincing that some fans thought the trade actually happened.
Here's the photoshopped picture of Gurley and Vinovich.
After watching the refs blow a no-call that worked out in the Rams favor, some people on Twitter were confused about whether or not the photo was real.
@nfl needs to fire ref that exchanges jerseys with Gurley. Also DB from rams needs to be suspended for Superbowl because of helmet to helmet hit/pi that was not called!!!
— Billy Ziebell (@billy_ziebell) January 21, 2019
So i saw some pics about a ref who reffed the game and was a Rams fan, had a Rams jersey 🤔
— David Matos (@DaviidMatos) January 21, 2019
@SportsCenter this ref should be fired after swapping Jersey with a member of the LA Rams after the NFC championship game against the NO Saints Sunday. No ref should except gifts from a NFL team or a member of a team when employed by the NFL. Refs blew calls Rams win Hmmmm? pic.twitter.com/2unXYFPlik
— jimsmcdonald10@gmail (@jimsmcdonald10g) January 21, 2019
Even New York radio host Mike Francesa thought the jersey swap had actually taken place.
Mike Francesa is highly outraged over Todd Gurley exchanging jerseys with the referee yesterday. 😂 pic.twitter.com/4cv2Q27Eb9
— Ƒunhouse (@BackAftaThis) January 21, 2019
Even though the jersey swap didn't take place, the NFL probably isn't going to like the fact that Gurley posted the photo. Keeping the integrity of the game intact is important to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and a player posting a picture that insinuates one of the refs in the NFC title game was favoring his team definitely isn't a good look.
In a statement released on Monday, Saints owner Gayle Benson said that the NFL needs to commit to providing fairness and integrity in its games.
As for Gurley, the photo on Instagram was probably the biggest headline he made on Sunday, because he didn't do much against the Saints. Gurley, who carried the ball just four times for 10 yards, spent most of the game on the bench after struggling through a first half that included two dropped passes.
According to Gurley, he deserved to be on the bench because of how badly he played.
"I was sorry as hell today," Gurley said after the game, via ESPN.com. "I was sorry. So, C.J. did his thing and the whole team did its thing."
The good news for Gurley is that his season won't end with his ugly performance in Sunday's game and that's because the Rams running back will get to take the field one more time when Los Angeles heads to Atlanta to play the Patriots in Super Bowl LIII.
If you still haven't marked your calendar for the Super Bowl, the game will be kicking off from Atlanta on Feb. 3 and will be televised by CBS and you can stream it right here. If you're thinking about buying a new TV for the big game, CNET has you covered. They shared their best picks for every budget.
