NFL referees have had the short end of the stick this season because their officiating is drawing major criticism from the NFL community. Amidst the criticism over poor officiating, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has come to the defense of the referees.
NFL commish Roger Goodell defends referees despite ongoing controversies: 'I'm very proud of what they do' https://t.co/WDEdd1FFN2 via @foxnews
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The 2023 season has seen several major officiating mistakes. This has drawn criticism and ire from coaches, players, and fans. Some notable ones are the referee not throwing the flag on the Dolphins during a critical play against the Chiefs and the crucial late-game two-point conversion from the Lions was negated over a penalty against the Cowboys. A series of officiating mistakes have occurred almost every week, resulting in the situation.
NFL's Roger Goodell defends referees penalizing Chiefs' Kadarius Toney for offsides: 'I find it ironic' https://t.co/SXDg9KeGhO via @foxnews
— Chris 🇺🇸 (@Chris_1791) December 14, 2023
Roger Goodell believes the criticism over officiating is unjustified
In an interview with the Detroit News during his recent visit to Michigan, Roger Goodell emphasized the decisiveness of the referees and their ability to get them correct most of the time as he went on to praise them. He also expressed his belief in them as he said, “I’m proud of our officials, I think they do an extraordinary job. They aren’t perfect, they’re making decisions out there in a matter of seconds, but what we’ve seen in a variety of circumstances this year, without getting into any specifics, is they get it right, and they’re still criticized.”
He also highlighted the complexity of the job of a referee as he added “And you know, there are two teams out there, so — [for example], is he offsides or not offsides? That’s just part of their job. They are the hardest-working people I see. They take great pride in it. There are individuals who work to try to make sure they’re contributing to the game, but we have technology to try to do that, too.”
Despite Roger Goodell‘s constant defense of the referees and trust in the officiating standard of the league, there are some issues with the status of the referees. The referees are not full-time employees of the league. Even if they are paid highly, the part-time status doesn’t allow them access to any benefits. A major part of the NFL community believes this to be the primary reason behind the depleting standard of officiating.
