Fox’s Mike Pereira Says He May Miss Entire NFL Season Due to Surgery

Fox’s longtime NFL rules analyst Mike Pereira could potentially miss the entire season due to surgery to eliminate pain in his back.

Pereira, who was absent from the network’s coverage in Week 1, tweeted on Sunday that he was missing in NFL action because he was on “IR” regarding his back.

“Bad back and soon to come surgery keeps me from traveling and keeps me home. You are blessed not to see me on the tube for the possibly the season. I will be able to answer your questions during the week that you might have.,” Pereira tweeted.

Prior to Fox, Pereira was the NFL’s director of officiating, starting in 2001 before being promoted to vice president of officiating in ’04 and retiring from the league following the ’09 season.

He started his NFL tenure as an official in the ’96 and ’97 seasons as a side judge, joining a crew that included referee Mike Carey and donning the No. 77 on his uniform.

Before joining the NFL ranks, the 73-year-old officiated collegiate games for 14 years, including nine in the Big West Conference from ’82 to ‘90 and five in the Western Athletic Conference from ’91 to ’95.