Colts Star Addresses Thoughts on State of NFL Referees

The Indianapolis Colts have been well represented during Super Bowl week thanks to a number of media appearances from wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr.

Pittman defended quarterback Anthony Richardson in an interview earlier this week, saying that Richardson is taking the necessary steps to become the franchise guy in Indy. In a more recent interview, Pittman was questioned about the state of NFL referees after a controversial season.

The question came at the same time that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell addressed the media about questions regarding officiating. Claims have been made from social media that say the refs favor the Kansas City Chiefs, but Goodell denies any sort of collaboration.

"That's a ridiculous theory — for anyone who might take it seriously. But at the end of the day, it's something we always have to continue to work on: How do we make our officiating better?"

- Roger Goodell when asked about public perception that referees are favoring the Chiefs pic.twitter.com/uA2YX7FE7s
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) February 3, 2025

Pittman feels the NFL has a few potential solutions. One of those would be to give NFL refs a full-time position instead of part-time. This could improve the quality of officials by forcing them to stay dedicated year-round.

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"They have the power to almost—I don’t want to say end somebody’s season, because at the end of the day we control our own destiny—but there’s a lot of influence in calls that are so subjective that could go either way, that we need to find ways to mitigate the percentage of error,” said Pittman in an interview with Front Office Sports.

Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. believes the NFL should use full-time referees:

"I would love to see full-time refs... Most referees have other careers and I feel like the NFL is so big that we could explore that."

More from @MikePitt_Jr's interview with FOS ⬇️
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) February 5, 2025

“There’s so many people that bet and they put money in—and they’re putting lots of money into sports betting—we need something that is closer or as close to perfect as we can get because everybody is going to benefit from having the right call called.”

Pittman said he would "love" to see full-time refs, something that Goodell has considered. Instead, Goodell feels there is more potential in the technological advances of officiating. Sports like soccer, baseball, and tennis have implemented computers to increase the accuracy of calls.

The NFL could benefit from a similar system, one that can scientifically mark the first down line and goal line. While Pittman would love to see improvements, it may take a while to see them in the league.

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