The Super Bowl is the biggest game of the entire season in the NFL, so it would seem obvious that the league would want the best possible referees to officiate it.
In previous seasons, the league’s officiating department would prioritize years of experience when selecting which referees would be assigned the honor of calling the Super Bowl. This year, that’s not the case.
According to ESPN, the NFL’s new vice president of officiating training and development, Ramon George, decided that shouldn’t be a major criteria when deciding who would be selected.
“It’s not collectively bargained to have a certain number of years [of experience],” George said. “That’s just a rule that whomever is in the position to select, that is their philosophy. I don’t live by that philosophy. If you are the best, then you should be on the field.”
The big game in New Orleans on Sunday will called by a refereeing squad that includes two officials in just their third year on the job. Super Bowl LIX will also be just the third postseason game down judge Max Causey and umpire Mike Morton have officiated (Morton called the NFC Championship Game in Philadelphia).
“That’s a huge departure [from protocol],” the NFL’s former VP of officiating Mike Pereira (2004-09) told ESPN. He explained that the league typically does not let Championship round officials participate in the Super Bowl in order to avoid any lingering controversial calls carry over from the two weeks prior.
“I always felt like it took five years to get to the level to where you’ll feel comfortable going in front of thousands of people … When I saw this, I was very surprised,” he continued.
George claims he picked the crew he did for Sunday because they were the most accurate all season long. Still, experts claim there’s a pseudo-hierarchy for a reason.
“You’re always thinking experience, and you want those officials to have championship game experience,” Dean Blandino (NFL VP of officiating 2013-17 and now Fox rules analyst) said. “Doesn’t mean that officials without that experience can’t do a good job, but it is different.”
Sunday’s crew is, however, led by well-experienced officials. Referee Ron Torbert is in his 15th season calling his second-ever Super Bowl. Side judge Boris Cheek is in his 29th season and fourth Super Bowl assignment. The other three members have between seven and 10 years of experience, per ESPN’s reporting.
Questionable and controversial calls are inevitable in football nowadays (especially when the Kansas City Chiefs are playing). So, this will only add fuel to the fire of conspiracy theorists and fans looking for anything to whine about on Sunday.
