No one ever says anything bad, do they? As an employer, you could be talking to literally anyone – the potential employee’s spouse, bests friend, kid – you have no idea. References have almost NO utility because they are offered up by the person who has a vested interest in getting hired.
If you want to know how good or bad a person may be, look at how long their jobs typically last. As an example, if my husband wanted to get a new job he would not be able to come up with a reference if he wanted to keep it confidential from his current employer. Why? Because he’s been there for 35 fucking years. His last job before this one was in fast food as a teenager. Would a potential employer then not hire him because he has no references? That makes no sense. He’s the hardest working, most loyal person I’ve ever met. He constantly comes up with new ideas and cost savings at his job. But hey, he’s got no reference!!!! Sometimes employers are just shooting themselves in the foot for no reason.
I think that asking for references should be abolished as a hiring practice.