Mike Pereira (former NFL Director of Officiating) questions SEC officiating integrity

[SuperD]

He's basically calling out the method / integrity of the leagues officiating, says someone else is using the officiating team's communication system to provide input on calls that has gotten officials to pick up flags. We bitch about P12 reffing all the time but that's usually due to over-calling games or calling them inconsistently, I don't think we've seen anything like what he's describing. The SEC apparently really is playing by a different set of rules from the rest of CFB.

You'd think Pereira is pretty dialed in to the officiating world, so I'm curious if he has information that made him confident enough to write this story or if it is based primarily on observation/speculation. This seems like a pretty big allegation he is making.

http://www.foxsports.com/college-fo...ennessee-sec-officiating-replay-review-102514

 

[96 Buff]

He provides zero evidence, just speculation. Fox doesn't give a **** because they're not in this for truth, just readership & viewership. That being said, I didn't see either of the calls he's talking about so what do I know?

 

[Buffnik]

It's a very serious allegation. No one who isn't an official should be involved in the conversation when ruling on a play.

On the one hand, it's hard to believe that this is going on. On the other hand, it's hard to believe that a guy like Pereira would speak out unless he was asked to by someone who isn't in a position to speak out without compromising his employment status (Pereira has credibility and no job security risk on this).

 

[SuperD]

It's a very serious allegation. No one who isn't an official should be involved in the conversation when ruling on a play.

On the one hand, it's hard to believe that this is going on. On the other hand, it's hard to believe that a guy like Pereira would speak out unless he was asked to by someone who isn't in a position to speak out without compromising his employment status (Pereira has credibility and no job security risk on this).

It's tough to tell the exact issue without more detail, and seeing the plays in question. I think the likeliest candidate for who they are talking to is the replay official, but even that shouldn't be happening if it is for plays that are not supposed to be subject to replay review according to the rules the rest of CFB is using.

 

[DBT]

Cheating allegations in the SEC? I'm at a loss for words!

 

[Gramburglar]

Cheating allegations in the SEC? I'm at a loss for words!

I don't read it as cheating; its like the eye in sky of Las Vegas Casinos. The assumption Pereira makes is the SEC is retroactively using replay to confirm an officials flag prior to issuing the foul. The issue with this form of officiating is more flags will be thrown because officials no longer need to discern if an infraction occurred, all they need to do is throw a flag and the replay guy will make a call.

Minus turning football games into 6hr events, real trouble could arise if an official throws a flag a minor infraction but while viewing the replay a more serious infraction missed on the field is observed and the and that penalty is enforced. There must be come kind of disclosure if this system were in pace. An example would be: an official throws a flag for holding on an OLineman but while reviewing there is a defensive facemask in the same area, there is at the least 25yrds between their penalty results, without knowing the intent of the flag one team would greatly benefit from the replay interpretation.

Now if the person in the ear piece is biased that's absolutely cheating.