NFL adjusts referee assignments after historic FAA ground stop
Summarised from 4 outlets · 5 reports · Updated 15 Nov, 04:43 · Archive
One NFL referee will work two games in two states on Sunday after the Federal Aviation Administration's four-hour ground stop on Friday forced the league to reassign officials to games within driving distance of their hometowns.
The Federal Aviation Administration's four-hour ground stop on Friday, the first nationwide stoppage since 2001, forced the NFL to make emergency changes to its Week 10 officiating schedule. Rather than having referees fly to their assigned games, the league reassigned officials to matches within driving distance of their hometowns.
One referee, Don Willard, will serve double duty on Sunday. He will officiate the Miami Dolphins-Indianapolis Colts game at 1 p.m. Eastern Time, then drive roughly 110 miles to Cincinnati to referee the Pittsburgh Steelers-Cincinnati Bengals match at 8:20 p.m. It is unclear whether this marks the first time an NFL referee has worked two games in a single day.
Two other backup officials will also step in. Duane Heydt will referee the Carolina Panthers-New Orleans Saints game, and Barry Anderson will referee the Jacksonville Jaguars-Tennessee Titans game. The NFL stated that each of its 17 officiating crews has a designated backup referee trained throughout the season to fill in when needed.
The FAA's ground stop was triggered by a communications issue involving old technology that became 'overloaded', according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. He told reporters that switches and routers handling analog telecommunications data became inconsistent, forcing the stoppage.
The disruption was not limited to the NFL. College football teams were stranded Friday evening, with the Fox News report indicating that multiple games across several conferences had their start times changed or postponed. The ACC avoided any schedule changes, but the Big 12 was most severely affected, with three matchups moved.
How it is being reported
- FAA ground stop disrupts college footballSome college football games were delayed a few hours on Saturday or postponed to Sunday. And in Oklahoma at least, there will be perks for fans to make up for the inconvenience, including cheap beers.NPR · 15 Nov, 01:13
- NFL official Don Willard will referee two games in one day after FAA ground stop disrupts travel, league saysNFL official Don Willard will referee two games in one day, driving 110 miles from Indianapolis to Cincinnati after the FAA ground stop hit Week 10.Fox News · 14 Nov, 19:04
- Updated start times for college football games affected by FAA ground stop, broken down by conferenceAlthough the FAA ground stop was resolved within hours, its ripple effects forced college football game time changes across the Big 12, SEC, and Big Ten.Fox News · 14 Nov, 16:42
- NFL confirm emergency officiating changes ahead of Week 10 games amid chaos after FAA's ground stopAs the American airline industry continues to try and recover from yesterday's nationwide ground stop, the NFL is adjusting its refereeing assignments to prevent being shorthanded.Daily Mail Sport · 14 Nov, 16:25
- How NFL games are being affected by historic FAA ground stop — including one ref working two gamesAnd while the NFL isn't playing Saturday, that doesn't mean the league wasn't affected by the four-hour Friday stoppage that halted flights across the nation.New York Post · 14 Nov, 15:40
In this story: Don Willard · Barry Anderson · Duane Heydt · Sean Duffy · Federal Aviation Administration · National Football League · Indianapolis · Cincinnati
This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log
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