Three NFL referees were fired and sent down to the NCAA power conference to continue their careers. James Carter (umpire), Robin DeLorenzo (line judge) and Robert Richeson (down judge) have all been sent down to college football after a rough season.
It’s the first time in 15 years that an NFL referee has been demoted. Fans are rejoicing at their demotion in the hopes that the NFL is finally taking accountability for their referees and hopefully avoid controversial calls.
Carter was in his second season as a referee and was an alternate in the Wild Card round last year. DeLorenzo is a third year official who’s never had a postseason assignment and Richeson is a rookie who was ineligible for the playoffs.
Like I said, fans are ecstatic at their demotion as one fan tweeted out: “If they can’t make the right calls at this level, how can they make the right calls at any level? The slower the game? Send them back to pee wee and have them prove themselves all over again.”
These demotions prove that the NFL is making more aggressive moves to help their officiating and hopefully get away from the rumors that they favor certain teams in the league.
Last season had many controversial calls that dictated the outcomes of certain games. Like in the AFC championship game where the refs failed to give Josh Allen and the Bills a first down late in the game.
One anonymous NFL referee has something to say about the change: “It’s changing into a competitive environment where everybody’s equal. There are no favorites. There’s no favoritism. There’s none of that; it’s all about performance.”
The referees that have been demoted have decided to bypass the NFL Referees Association’s grievance procedures and have accepted their new positions in college football.
Their demotion goes to show how much of a thankless job being a referee is. NFL fans continue to tweet out “not good enough” or “they need to be fined as well.”
Being a rule enforcer in sports is not the most popular position, but they’re needed. It’s a good thing that the NFL is finally taking accountability for their poor officiating that raises eyebrows among NFL fans.
The NFL needs to be like the NHL in terms of officiating. For years, people have claimed the NHL has the best officiating out of the four major North American sports. While the NHL still has its issues, they're hardly controversial like the NFL has become.
At least NFL officiating isn’t like MLB umpires where they have caught flack for almost every call they make. While NFL refs are rough, at least they’re not umpires.
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