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NFL worried over a shortage of future officials causing league to ‘limit First Amendment rights’
The NFL is trying to fight a future problem in the present. The league is worried about the future of officials and referees in its sport. The NFL has long made it a rule that berating officials during a game would result in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, along with a potential fine after the game if they continue to openly attack the officiatingGetty It is why the league office has a strict policy on players, coaches, executives and owners publicly calling out the officiating after games. However, the league office recently did something they rarely do. They admitted they were wrong. The NFL rescinded the two $25,000 fines it handed out to Joe Mixon and Will Anderson Jr. after they both publicly criticized the officiating in the Houston Texans‘ loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round. This prompted a deeper search by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, into why exactly the league handed out the fines in the first place, just to be rescinded. Florio asked the question. “So why did the league office swing and miss in an effort to silence players whose First Amendment rights are limited in part by the Collective Bargaining Agreement?” Florio wrote. “During at least one of the two hearings, a justification was offered. “The NFL, we’re told, is concerned that criticism of current NFL officials will cause potential future NFL officials to never choose to become officials. “The league needs people who aspire to eventually become NFL officials. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has always spoken in favor of the job the officials are doing, while also noting the need to get betterGetty “If the job becomes more trouble than it’s worth, the only way to make it more attractive becomes paying them more money, which, of course, the owners don’t want to do. “So the league hopes to make the job more attractive by minimizing the unattractive aspects of it. And so they’ll try to silence coaches, owners, executives, and players by fining them.” Florio likened this example to the concussion revelations in 2009. If more and more parents stopped their children from playing football, that would reduce the overall future talent pool of potential NFL players. Which in turn, dilutes the quality of the product. The same can be said for NFL officials, and according to Florio’s finding, that is exactly why the league is so protective of its officiating crews. They don’t want to deter future officials from ever becoming officials in the first place. And by limiting what can and cannot be said about their performances after every game, the league increases the chances of more people wanting to do the job. It puts them and their performances under less of a microscope, even though all eyeballs are constantly on every call of every game. For now, the league is trying its best to make the life of an official at least a smidge easier. Whether or not that is actually reality, can be debated. Just ask an official.
The NFL is trying to fight a future problem in the present.
The league is worried about the future of officials and referees in its sport.
It is why the league office has a strict policy on players, coaches, executives and owners publicly calling out the officiating after games.
However, the league office recently did something they rarely do.
They admitted they were wrong.
The NFL rescinded the two $25,000 fines it handed out to Joe Mixon and Will Anderson Jr. after they both publicly criticized the officiating in the Houston Texans‘ loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round.
This prompted a deeper search by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, into why exactly the league handed out the fines in the first place, just to be rescinded.
Florio asked the question.
“So why did the league office swing and miss in an effort to silence players whose First Amendment rights are limited in part by the Collective Bargaining Agreement?” Florio wrote.
“During at least one of the two hearings, a justification was offered.
“The NFL, we’re told, is concerned that criticism of current NFL officials will cause potential future NFL officials to never choose to become officials.
“The league needs people who aspire to eventually become NFL officials.
“If the job becomes more trouble than it’s worth, the only way to make it more attractive becomes paying them more money, which, of course, the owners don’t want to do.
“So the league hopes to make the job more attractive by minimizing the unattractive aspects of it. And so they’ll try to silence coaches, owners, executives, and players by fining them.”
Florio likened this example to the concussion revelations in 2009.
If more and more parents stopped their children from playing football, that would reduce the overall future talent pool of potential NFL players.
Which in turn, dilutes the quality of the product.
The same can be said for NFL officials, and according to Florio’s finding, that is exactly why the league is so protective of its officiating crews.
They don’t want to deter future officials from ever becoming officials in the first place.
And by limiting what can and cannot be said about their performances after every game, the league increases the chances of more people wanting to do the job.
It puts them and their performances under less of a microscope, even though all eyeballs are constantly on every call of every game.
For now, the league is trying its best to make the life of an official at least a smidge easier.
Whether or not that is actually reality, can be debated.
Just ask an official.
