Scott Hanson Says NFL Released Statement Amid Penalty Surge

Millions of NFL fans spend each Sunday with Scott Hanson, host of the acclaimed "NFL RedZone." Few people know better than he does when flags fly or go missing while he covers the biggest moments from every afternoon game. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX News may be compensated. This content was created by a team that works independently from the FOX newsroom.

An ESPN Insights report last week found that NFL officials had called more accepted penalties through Week 4 than during the same span of any season since 1978. Officials also nullified 17 touchdowns, compared to just five through four weeks last season. THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE. DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!

Hanson joined OutKick for a wide-ranging interview, and the state of NFL officiating was part of the discussion. "I believe the NFL just put out a statement about penalties," Hanson said. He noted that as they recorded on Friday, October 9, the league disputed concerns about the number of flags in 2026. When asked about the ESPN Insights report, Hanson said he tries to err on the side of respect for all the professionals involved, players, coaches, support staff and officials.

He continued, "I really believe that NFL football is the best, I know this will be controversial, is the best officiated of the major four sports." We next asked Hanson whether he agreed that officials are throwing too many flags, particularly during the regular season. "I know people are going to say I'm a company man, but that's truly the way I feel," he countered. "To answer your question, are there too many? The number is immaterial to me. The accuracy is what should matter."

"Of course, there are calls that go the wrong way, that are not officiated the proper way," Hanson explained. "And it's not because of an interpretation of rules. It's because the human eye can only go so fast. And a lot of times, the human feet and hands and bodies can move quicker than what we can discern with our human eyes. And then there's error in judgment sometimes."

Last week, OutKick argued that the NFL tones down ticky-tack penalties during the postseason because it understands an excessive number of flags bogs down the game. That apparent change in philosophy raises an obvious question: If the league is comfortable letting players play in January, why call the game so much tighter during the regular season? Hanson questioned that premise. "This might get me dismissed here, but I'm not even so sure that they do call it differently," he said.

"Every game is in a standalone window, so every call is extremely magnified," he added. "And so there's a narrative that gets developed." He asked if we agreed the NFL puts all-star crews together for playoff games. You are not getting a playoff game if you aren't great. By the way, I also would have no problem with them making public what grades officials get, which would help fandom understand this crew or that crew might not be considered. They're not going to get a divisional game. They're not going to get the Super Bowl, and whatnot.

Do you agree? Later in the interview, Hanson and I had an in-depth, respectful debate about, wait for it, the Historical Jesus. If you are interested in that topic, we encourage you to watch the full interview on YouTube here. OUTKICK IS NOW AVAILABLE ON THE FOX NEWS APP: CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

We appreciate Hanson's willingness to engage in a friendly debate over these topics. He is a great broadcaster and an ever-better person. We hope to have him back on OutKick soon. Watch the full interview by clicking here.