A lot of non-New England Patriots football fans annoyed by -- or maybe jealous of -- all the recent success the Patriots have had believe that referees favor the Pats, and those conspiracy theorists got a boost yesterday (January 21st) when a referee congratulated Tom Brady after New England won the AFC championship game for another ticket to the Super Bowl. Referee Clete Blakeman was the first person to congratulate Brady as the clock ran out and the Patriots pulled off a fourth-quarter comeback to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 24-20. And as if that wasn't enough to fuel conspiracy talk, the Patriots had only one penalty called against them the entire game, the fewest against a team in a playoff game since the 2011 AFC championship, when there was only one penalty called against -- the Patriots.
Of course, that's not his first scrutinized handshake...