NFL Refs

NCAA and NFL Referee news

Jim Haslett fined $20K for cussing out the refs

By

St. Louis Rams interim coach Jim Haslett has been fined $20,000 by the NFL for “going onto the field and directing profanities at a game official” during a game a few weeks ago against the San Francisco 49ers.  It’s not clear what he was upset about, and the Rams had just completed a 29-year pass.

It’s also not clear who the official was that he was yelling at, though we know that Alberto Riveron was the referee for that game.

Is it just me, or is the number of fines for things related to the officials (complaining, mostly) much higher this year than in years past?

Urlacher fined $20,000 for verbal abuse of an official

By

Brian Urlacher, linebacker for the Chicago Bears, has been fined $20K by the league for “abusive conduct toward a game official”.

The words came following a bizarre play last week in which the Falcons fumbled the ball, the Bears recovered it, then they fumbled, and the Falcons got the ball back.  The result of that was a first down for the Falcons, because the ball had changed possession.  It was a confusing play, but it certainly seemed that Al Riveron and his crew took their time and made sure to get it right.

I guess Urlacher was just frustrated with the play, because the refs certainly got it right.

Other players were recently fined for similar incidents, including Miami’s Joey Porter, Denver’s Dre Bly and the Rams Richie Incognito.

Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh reprimanded for criticizing Pac-10 officials

By

After Saturday’s 28-21 loss to Notre Dame, Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh made it clear he wasn’t pleased with the officials:

We got a couple of bad calls. It’s hard to imagine people don’t know football any better than that. Maybe I’ll be swayed differently after I see the replay, but from what I saw on the field, I still can’t get over it. It was a really bad call. It should have been our ball and a touchdown for us.

Unfortunately for Jim, there were two problems with those comments:

  1. The officials were correct.  Pac-10 commissioner Tom Hansen confirmed that the call was correct.
  2. Pac-10 rules prohibit coaches from commenting publically on officiating.

I’m a big Jim Harbaugh fan, but he really should have kept his mouth shut this time.

Any idea who the head official was in that game?

Jerry Jones fined $25K for comments about the referees

By

Just days after Saints’ coach Sean Payton was fined $15,000 for ripping the officials, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been fined $25,000 for a similar offense.

Jones had made comments about Ed Hochuli‘s famous week one mistake in the Broncos-Chargers game.  Jones admits he was out of line, saying that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is “doing his job”.

Jones was fined more than Payton because owners are held to a higher standard.  Chargers coach Norv Turner was not fined for referring to the blown call as “unacceptable”, since he limited himself to that single word and referred all other questions about the matter to the league office.