Over the past several seasons, many have suggested that the NFL should move toward using full-time referees as a result of some of the poor officiating in some games. But it doesn’t sound like the league is all that interested in that.
During a recent interview on The Pat McAfee Show, Roger Goodell seemed to suggest that he does not think full-time officials would solve the problems.
“We did a little bit of [full-time officiating] before COVID and stopped it during COVID just because of the circumstances, and we didn’t see a difference,” Goodell said on the show according to Pro Football Talk. “It doesn’t mean that we did it right, so we still look at it. But I’m also sitting back and I’m watching a lot of playoff basketball, hockey. I’m hearing a lot about officials and all of those guys are full time. My only point to that is this is a human game. It’s a fast game. They’re people, like you and I. They make mistakes. For us, the way to correct it is to try to add technology. And so replay assist is something we’re bringing even further in this year.”
Obviously, part-time referees are cheaper for the league than full-time officials. So if Goodell does not see a difference in the performance, it’s unlikely the league will have full-time officials anytime soon.
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