I do officiate multiple sports including football. The funny thing is that we see things without emotion which no one can believe as everyone else is rooting for someone. I have screwed up (kicked) many calls but never intentionally. Remember we see it once at game speed.
It is an art to officiate. And sometimes it goes sideways on you despite best efforts. No I don’t think refs are paid off. It would be pretty obvious. They just had a rough game
I’ve had a few friends who officiated various sports, at lower levels. I appreciate the dedication to the sport these guys have. Actually, I often MARVEL at just how accurate professional officials are... baseball and football. It is often truly amazing.
But, I’m sorry... I’m 100% convinced some NFL refs are “on the take”. It’s just too easy to affect the outcome of games. And, there’s just TOO MUCH MONEY at stake to let it not be controlled.