For a while now, countless NFL fans and pundits have called for the league to have full-time referees order to improve the quality of league officiating.
NFL referees have other careers outside of officiating. For example, Shawn Hochuli (the son of former NFL referee Ed Hochuli) also works as a Professional Financial Consultant. But many believe that if the NFL assigned full-time positions to NFL referees, it could go a long way in fixing the officiating system.
Well, there’s some encouraging news for fans hoping for that dream to become a reality. The call for it “is gaining some traction”, according to a report from Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio:
“Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the push for full-time officials is gaining some traction.
That doesn’t mean it will happen, or that it will be as clear and clean as all officials immediately devoting full professional efforts to officiating. The league may allow (for example) the officials who currently moonlight to continue to do so, with new officials being required to take full-time jobs with no other professional responsibilities.”
As in any sport, American football referees simply aren’t perfect. They’re always going to make mistakes, but with today’s technology, the NFL could accommodate its officials by introducing new ideas such as full-time referees.
Many have also called for the league to introduce a “sky judge”, in which another official in the booth would simply sit in the booth and alert the head on-field official about a bad call or missed non-call.
Following the NOLA No-Call controversy in the 2018 NFC Championship Game, the NFL tried addressing pass interference calls/no-calls) by allowing coaches to challenge them, beginning in the 2019 season. But it became such a disaster that the league ultimately scrapped it after just one season.
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One potential rule change that could come in 2023? The league may opt to make hits on quarterbacks/defensive players reviewable. Roughing the passer penalty calls (and sometimes missed obvious ones) have been a widely discussed controversy yet again in 2022. Only time will tell if the NFL actually goes down that path, though.
