Millions of NFL fans spend each Sunday of the season with Scott Hanson, host of the acclaimed “NFL RedZone.”
Few people are more aware of when flags are thrown—or missed—than Hanson, who checks in and out of the biggest moments from every Sunday afternoon game.
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 had also nullified 17 touchdowns, compared to just five through four weeks last season.
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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. I don’t know when people are going to watch this [we recorded on Friday, October 9], but as we are talking right here, the NFL says that penalties per game are actually down this year,” Hanson said, citing the league’s response disputing concerns about the number of flags in 2026.
When we asked about the ESPN Insights report, Hanson said he tries to “err on the side of respect for all the professionals that are 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. 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. 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 the ticky-tack penalties during the postseason because it understands that 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 [in the playoffs],” he countered. “Every game is in a standalone window, so every call is extremely magnified. And so there’s a narrative that gets developed, right?
“We’re all on the same page that the NFL does put all-star crews together, right?” he asked. “You’re not getting a playoff game if you aren’t great. Which, by the way, I also would have no problem with them making it public what grades the officials get, which would help the fandom understand, ‘ Okay, 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’re interested in that topic, we encourage you to watch the full interview on YouTube here.
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.
