Mike Pereira: All 17 NFL refs should be full-time
After another controversial missed call, Mike Pereira says it's time to make the refs full-timers.
Mike Pereira, the former head of NFL officiating, said he thinks it is time for the NFL to make the head referee on each of the 17 officiating crews into a full-time employee.
The NFL has slowly been converting some its refs from part-time employees who work other jobs to full-time refs who focus solely on studying the NFL rules.
Pereira's comments were sparked by the missed Chargers-Chiefs call Sunday night, according to the Associated Press. From the report:
“My personal belief is the 17 referees all ought to be full time,” Pereira told the Associated Press. “They need to explore that notion because having only one full-time referee and umpire and line judge and the others makes no sense. It would not achieve to me what having all 17 full-time refs would, because they should be involved with everything. Be involved in proposals of rules changes and teaching their crews and working with the teams in the offseason.”