NFL fires three officials in 'accountability' crackdown

The NFL appears to be cracking down on shoddy refereeing.

The league fired three officials in what footballzebras.com described as vice president of officiating training and development Ramon George “advancing accountability among the officiating ranks,” following a postseason that included several notable referee controversies.

In a deviation from normal standards, though, the referees received soft landings, being sent to college football power conferences due to George’s maneuvering, per the report.

3 NFL officials pose before a playoff game. AP

Dismissed officials reportedly had no such landing spot previously.

The NFL moved on from second-year umpire James Carter, third-year line judge Robin DeLorenzo and first-year down judge Robert Richardson, according to the report.

Carter served as an alternate official during the wild-card round this past season, with footballzebras.com speculating it may have been due to injuries, while DeLorenzo did not earn any postseason assignments and Richardson could not referee in the postseason due to his freshman status.

These moves come as George has pushed for using “data as a performance guide,” a source told the outlet.

“The culture is changing, it’s changing rapidly,” one official told footballzebras.com. “It’s changing into a competitive environment where everybody’s equal. There are no favorites. There’s no favoritism. There’s none of that; it’s all about performance.”

3 NFL referees during a 2021 game. AP

The article did not mention any specific issues with this trio, but NFL refereeing came under the microscope this year, particularly regarding perceived bias toward the Chiefs.

The Chiefs benefitted from several questionable calls against the Texans in the divisional round before receiving a generous spot on what proved to be a game-changing fourth-down stop against the Bills in the AFC Championship game.

The Chiefs talk became so incessant that even NFL commissioner Roger Goodell labeled the alleged favoritism as “ridiculous,” and the NFL Referees Association even released a statement.

3 Ramon George, seen here in 2023, is the NFL’s vice president of officiating training and development. Getty Images

The association noted it grades referees each week.

“Commissioner Goodell’s comments that it is ‘ridiculous’ to presume that NFL officials are not doing everything possible to make the right calls on every play is spot on,” executive director Scott Green said in a statement before Super Bowl 2025. “Officiating crews do not work the same team more than twice each regular season. It is insulting and preposterous to hear conspiracy theories that somehow 17 officiating crews consisting of 138 officials are colluding to assist one team.”

As the league moved on from those three referees, it’s uncertain whether they have a chance to return to NFL sidelines.

Sources told footballzebras.com they are unsure if the three can re-enter the league’s development program since the league-backed move to the college ranks is a change in protocol.

Moving to the collegiate ranks kept the union from being involved, per the report.

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