NFL Reshuffles Week 10 Officiating Crews After FAA Ground Stop; Three Backup Referees to Work Games
With air travel still snarled after Friday's nationwide ground stop, the league is sending officials to games within driving distance of home, putting three backup referees in the white hat on Sunday
The NFL has reworked its officiating assignments for Week 10, sending officials to games within driving distance of their hometowns as air travel across the country remains disrupted after Friday's nationwide ground stop.
The FAA halted departures nationwide for about five hours Friday after communications and radar problems at several air traffic control centers, the longest such shutdown since the Sept. 11 attacks. Airspace reopened at 8:15 p.m. ET, but thousands of flights were canceled and airlines warned that recovery would be slow. Teams fly charters, but game officials travel commercially, which left the league scrambling to make sure every crew could reach its stadium.
The fix pushes three backup referees into the lead role on Sunday, according to the league's statement:
Due to the ongoing nationwide impact to air travel this weekend, the NFL has adjusted its officiating assignments for Week 10 games, reassigning officials to games within driving distance of their hometowns. The changes will necessitate that three back up referees – umpires Barry Anderson and Duane Heydt and side judge Don Willard – will work as referees in the following games: Carolina-New Orleans – Duane Heydt Jacksonville-Tennessee – Barry Anderson Miami-Indianapolis and Pittsburgh-Cincinnati – Don Willard Each of the league’s 17 officiating crews have a backup referee identified, and that individual trains throughout the year to work at the referee position should the need arise.View on X →
Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero): Due to the ongoing nationwide impact to air travel this weekend, the NFL has adjusted its officiating assignments for Week 10 games, reassigning officials to games within driving distance of their hometowns. The changes will necessitate that three back up referees – umpires Barry Anderson and Duane Heydt and side judge Don Willard – will work as referees in the following games: Carolina-New Orleans – Duane Heydt Jacksonville-Tennessee – Barry Anderson Miami-Indianapolis and Pittsburgh-Cincinnati – Don Willard Each of the league’s 17 officiating crews have a backup referee identified, and that individual trains throughout the year to work at the referee position should the need arise.
Umpire Duane Heydt will referee Carolina at New Orleans, and umpire Barry Anderson gets Jacksonville at Tennessee. Side judge Don Willard has the busiest day: he works Miami at Indianapolis in the 10 a.m. PT window, then makes the roughly 110-mile drive to Cincinnati to referee Steelers-Bengals on Sunday Night Football.
The league noted that each of its 17 crews has a designated backup referee who trains all season for exactly this situation.
There's one more adjustment in New Orleans. The Saints-Panthers game won't have a replay official in the building, so those duties will be handled remotely by the league's replay center in New York, Pelissero reported.
The changes cover only domestic games. Week 10 also includes Patriots-Lions in Munich.