Duane Heydt, the main official for the Dolphins-Eagles SNF game, was previously suspended from the ACC championship game for unethical refereeing

Heydt allegedly overlooked several Eagles fouls on Dolphins players.

Duane Heydt, the main official for the Dolphins-Eagles SNF game, was previously suspended from the ACC championship game for unethical refereeing

Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox (91) and defensive tackle Jordan Davis (90) sack Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) during the NFL football matchup between the Miami Dolphins and (Image via IMAGO)

The Miami Dolphins lost the high-voltage match against the Philadelphia Eagles 31-17 on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. But the victory was overshadowed by the controversy surrounding referee Duane Heydt‘s alleged biased calls.

It had the potential to be a Super Bowl preview, with two sides sitting 5-1. But once the whistle was blown, the home team grasped the momentum with both of their hands. They had help, of course, as a Dolphins fan would point out. And judging by the statistics, they might have a case.

Miami was called for ten penalties totaling 70 yards. Many of them came at crucial junctures, while the Eagles had a clean slate. Either Nick Sirianni‘s team is as careful as they can be or something is off.

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Naturally, many of them pointed fingers at the referee, Duane Heydt, who was calling most of the shots on the night. After diving deep into his past, an interesting history resurfaced. Heydt was once part of a crew suspended by the ACC for poor officiating in 2017.

Why are the Miami Dolphins fans accusing referee Duane Heydt of foul play?

Heydt grew up in Lehighton, Pennsylvania, roughly 75 miles north of Philadelphia. Although in a 2022 interview claimed he hasn’t lived there in decades. He was a regular at the college games and drew a lot of ire from Clemson Tigers fans for poor officiating. Clemson is the rival of Duane Heydt’s alma mater, South Carolina. The Tigers were facing Georgia Tech back in 2016 and won in similar controversial situations.

Duane Heydt, the main official for the Dolphins-Eagles SNF game was previously suspended from the ACC championship game for unethical refereeing
(L) Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and (R) Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (Image via ESPN.com)

Several eagle-eyed fans pointed out all the things that Heydt missed. From roughing the passer to a face mask hit against Cedrick Wilson Jr. by James Bradberry, there were quite a few anomalies. This one in particular is a very obvious foul in most games.

Then there’s the Dolphins linebacker locked in a WWE-style choke slam on his way to making a tackle. Usually, that’s called a personal foul, but not this time.

Not to forget the two-handed touch tackle from Dolphins Christian Wilkins on Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. An instant yellow was tossed on the ground. The reason for the flag was simple: the challenge was late.

The loss left a bad taste in South Beach. Fortunately, the Dolphins will still enter the game against the New England Patriots atop the AFC East. The Buffalo Bills failed to beat their next opponents, but they would like to make use of the opportunity and record a sixth win.

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