Are referees victims of the multitude of cameras on NFL grounds? The ever-increasing speed of the game? In any case, don’t count on Roger Goodell to beat the striped men.
After a season that seemed littered with refereeing mistakes, Goodell offered his support to the referees at his annual press conference on Wednesday.
“I think the refereeing has never been better in the NFL,” he said. “There are more than 42,000 actions over a season. Several penalties can take place on a single action. Extrapolate that. That’s hundreds, if not millions of potential faults. And our referees do an amazing job of catching them. In this context, are mistakes being made? Yes, they are not perfect, and refereeing never will be. »
The commissioner is not wrong to recall the context. NFL referees don’t have an easy job, that’s a fact.
“We may not agree with all the TV journalists or refereeing experts, but we think our referees are doing a great job. We will always see with our competition committee how we can improve the refereeing, but it will never be perfect. »
Again, it’s not foolish to say that human-run arbitration will never be perfect. Especially in a sport with such many and complex rules.
Still, after a season where mistakes seemed to multiply, in a league where no one yet seems to know what a reception is, Roger Goodell’s words seem a bit out of step. Especially in the face of pressure from millions of fans and players who face huge sporting stakes.
