Pete Carroll Breaks His Silence – Explains Sketchy Decision That Had Everyone Asking The FBI To Investigate Him For “Rigging” Raiders-Broncos Game

This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll responded to the significant backlash he’s received for his questionable call at the end of Sunday’s home loss to the Denver Broncos.

Trailing 24-14 in the waning seconds, the Raiders got one more play to shorten the deficit. With the game basically over, fans thought Pete Carroll should have just gone for a last-second touchdown.

Instead, Carroll sent out kicker Daniel Carlson for a 46-yard field goal with five seconds remaining. Carlson made the kick, but the final five seconds were drained off the clock, so the Broncos won 24-17.

Furious football fans accused Carroll of point-shaving and demanded an investigation from the FBI. On Monday, Carroll explained his decision to kick the field goal, per ESPN’s Ryan McFadden:

“I knew it was going to look stupid, like you couldn’t figure out why we were doing it. But there was a clear thought of what we were trying to get down there, just to take it down to the very last click. That might not be good enough for you, I understand that, but I think you can see what we were trying to do, but it just didn’t work out.”

Some sportsbooks had the Broncos listed as 7.5-point favorites, while others listed them at 9.5 points. Regardless, the Raiders’ last-second field goal cost many bettors a significant amount of money.

But no, it’s not because Pete Carroll was purposely point shaving. A last-second heave to the end zone would have burned out the clock. If Carlson’s field goal had been just a second quicker, they would have had the chance for the onside kick recovery.

Pete Carroll’s First Season In Vegas Has Been A Nightmare

Expectations were raised considerably in Sin City when Carroll and John Spytek were hired as the new HC-GM duo. They acquired Pro Bowl quarterback Geno Smith and used the No. 6 pick on Ashton Jeanty to bolster the offense. At the very least, Vegas should have been a seven-to-eight-win team.

But nothing has gone right for the Raiders this year. Smith leads the NFL with 14 interceptions. Behind a lousy offensive line, Jeanty only has 665 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

With the Raiders sitting at 2-11, it’s not a stretch to wonder if Carroll will go one-and-done.