Time to have a serious conversation about officiating
After the excessive celebration calls in the Georgia-LSU game on Oct. 3, I had a long talk with Rogers Redding, the SEC supervisor of officials. At that time Redding told me that his guys should not have called the penalty on Georgia’s A.J. Green. Later in the day the SEC had to admit publicly that their officials had made a mistake.
Towards the end of our conversation, Redding said this: “We tell our guys not to go looking for this stuff, but if it happens right in front of your face, you have to call it.”
I’m not sure that message has really gotten across because we still have officials seeing stuff that simply is not there. For the second time this month the SEC had to admit that an official threw a flag for a penalty that clearly did not happen.
The play took place in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game between Florida and Arkansas in Gainesville. Arkansas defensive lineman Malcolm Sheppard collided with Florida offensive lineman Marcus Gilbert in the middle of the field. Gilbert initiated the contact but Sheppard won the collision and Gilbert fell to the ground. It was just two guys running into each other in the middle of the field. It was a football play.
Out comes a flag for a personal foul against Sheppard. The penalty gave Florida a first down at the Arkansas 10-yard line. Florida went on to tie the game at 20-20 and won it on a field goal in the final seconds.
Arkansas asked the league office to look at the tape, which it did. The SEC told Arkansas “there was no evidence on the video to support the personal foul penalty.”
A couple of points here:
I will give the SEC for credit for again admitting the mistake but guys, come on!
This is the same officiating crew that worked the Georgia-LSU game and called three excessive celebration penalties, two of which were bogus, in my opinion. This is now two major mistakes that had a direct bearing on the outcome of a high-profile game. In both cases officials saw things that simply were not there. The league office has to sit this crew down for the rest of the season.
Secondly, there needs to be a philosophical discussion about officiating in general. My belief is that there are too many penalties called in college football, period. I think it slows down the game and interrupts the natural flow of play.
I think officials should call the obvious stuff and the stuff that puts other players at risk or gives a team a clear competitive advantage. But football is just like basketball. Either the officials call it tight or they let the guys play. I believe in letting the guys play until they give you a reason to crack down.
Yes, I know there was a pass interference play in that same drive that also went against Arkansas. And there were other calls that Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino didn’t like. Those are judgment calls. People are always going to argue over calls like that. Officials are always going to miss calls like that. It’s part of the game.
And please, spare me the conspiracy theories: “It’s Florida and the league wants to protect the Gators because they are the defending national champs and they want them to play Alabama”…blah, blah, blah… Take that silliness somewhere else. That kind of talk obscures the real issue here.
I’m talking about a mindset. It’s the same mindset that looked at A.J. Green’s incredible catch and celebration with his teammates and thought SOMETHING had to be called. It’s the mindset looked at LSU’s Charles Scott, looking briefly to the stands after a touchdown run, and thought SOMETHING had to be called.
As someone who watched college football for a long time, there seems to be an attitude that officials are more concerned about NOT calling stuff. It seems to me that when in doubt, you DON’T throw the flag. To me, it’s much worse to call something that is NOT there than fail to call something that MIGHT be there. Maybe that’s just me. I’ve never been an official and I know it is a very tough job.
Am I wrong? If you were the SEC supervisor of officials and the commissioner, what would you do?
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621 comments Add your comment
tony's a homer
October 20th, 2009
6:52 am
Tony, are you still crying about the officials. Give it a rest. Your team stinks this year.
GregNortonIsHot
October 20th, 2009
6:53 am
AMEN sir!!! Fantastic article!!!
rockc82
October 20th, 2009
6:54 am
Great article and well said, Tony. What is your opinion on why Tim Tebow is never called for such excessive celebrations for all of his on-field antics after a 2-yard first down multiple times in every game he’s played. I’m not saying its a conspiracy theory that officials want Florida to win, but it sure seems like Georgia is always on receiving end of horrible calls like this, while Florida always benefits from bad officiating. Please address the real question: Why does A.J. Green receive a flag for glancing at the crowd for a split second and Tebow does not receive one for getting up, looking at the crowd, waving his hands, punching his chest, and clearly drawing attention to himself?
GregNortonIsHot
October 20th, 2009
6:54 am
and homer you are a moron…just b/c the team stinks doesn’t mean the officiating shouldn’t be professional.
Thenumber34
October 20th, 2009
6:55 am
I disagree with you, Tony. There is a lot of money for the SEC riding on its placing one and perhaps two teams in the national championship game. Why is a conspiracy so far fetched?
Florida’s Tim Tebow gets pass after pass on excessive celebration calls and as witnessed on Saturday, the Florida team received game winning calls from the officials. Seems they don’t fear for their jobs as they should….wonder why?
Carlton Powell
October 20th, 2009
6:56 am
As I have said previously, one of the implied, but yet real resons, the SEC went to a replay concept is that the league officials KNOW how bad the officiating has been for years. This is really nothing new. It’s just now there’s no hiding the fact. No, I don’t believe there’s an explicit conspiracy theory involved with the ‘Gators, but I DO think all concerned at the league office level realize what a huge deal it would/will be if the #’s 1 & 2 square off for the championship game. Agree that at least the league is big enough to admit the mistakes. However, I don’t think they had much choice.
WTH
October 20th, 2009
6:57 am
According the UGA fans on their blog, the SEC refs are biased towards them because the head of SEC officials is a GT graduste and the head of this particular crew is a GT graduate. I wonder since these calls hurt Arkansas, are there some high ranking SEC referees from Arkansas State or whomever Arkansas’s rival is?
David
October 20th, 2009
6:58 am
How about Kentucky going the whole game Saturday with no penalties while Auburn got called for a crapload of them?
WTH
October 20th, 2009
6:59 am
I guess the assistant head of officials is a Kentucky graduate.
RomeDawg
October 20th, 2009
7:01 am
Tony,
Before you say “take that sillines elsewhere”, I suggest you take a look at the economic impact that making sure two undefeated teams meet for the SEC championship game means. If Florida gets beat by Arkansas and then beats Alabama in the SEC title game could it be Boise State and Texas or Cincinnati in the BCS instead of an SEC. That would cost the SEC millions of dollars. If they are only supposed to call penalties that happen directly in front of them how did they miss the Vandy player sacking Joe Cox and then slinging his towel 25 feet in the air? It seems that SEC officiating is a lot like the WWF’s. I keep waiting for an opposing coach to call a ref over to distract him while one of his players hits one from the opposition. It is a joke and it IS ruining the fun and emotion of college football.
Ben Dover
October 20th, 2009
7:01 am
I watched a replay last night and I am sick to my stomach for Arky
Red Foreman
October 20th, 2009
7:08 am
whaaaaaaaaaaaaa
whaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Bill
October 20th, 2009
7:10 am
You’re absolutely right! I watched the game (Florida-Arkansas) and saw that the officials were the same as called the LSU-Georgia game and hosed Georgia. I commented to several people at the time that Arkansas was hosed by the officials almost in the same manner and circumstance as the LSU-Georgia game. This crew should not be officiating. And, add Penn Wagers to that group.
Not Disappointed!
October 20th, 2009
7:12 am
Yeah, it’s a bad call. Saw it on replay yesterday after dinner, but we need to go forward. Good article. Where do we go from here?
Ramblin Wreck!
ExecutiveStinger
October 20th, 2009
7:13 am
I see exactly what you’re saying Tony, and I agree with all of it.
My only comments would be that, in the officials defense (which I hate to defend them), I guess they can call whatever they want when something other than what the rules state happens in a game. On the A.J. Green call, for instance, the rules state that upon scoring a TD, the ball should be immediately handed to the official and then the players should begin walking off the field. Any deviance from that risks a penalty. We don’t know what words were coming from Green’s mouth at that moment or what the official saw. I know it sounds way too overbearing for them to have the right to call a penalty there, but for the record, any deviance from what is explicitly stated in the rules can risk a penalty. A.J. Green and every other player should know that and act accordingly. You can excessively celebrate all you want when you’re on your sideline, but not on the field of play where the officials are in charge of moving the game along.
Now, the play with Arkansas and Florida was just crazy, and if for no other reason, that crew should be heavily reprimanded if not benched for that game alone. To me, it really comes down to a tough, fine line with these errant calls. I agree something should be done, but even if reprimands or “mindsets” change, nothing says some of these calls won’t happen again. A percentage of calls will always be judgment calls, and as long as officials are allowed/forced to use their own judgment, I suppose these calls can and will happen.
Topp Dogg
October 20th, 2009
7:14 am
The biggest will be when an undeserving Tim Tebow wins another Heisman Trophy,talk about picking favorites to win OMG.
JB
October 20th, 2009
7:16 am
SEC officiating has become a joke.
HBTD!!!
Fleabag
October 20th, 2009
7:16 am
Don’t penalize the whole crew. Take the guy that threw it AND the head official and deal with them. The head official could have talked with the ref that threw the flag and made a case that he should pick it up.
DamnDawg
October 20th, 2009
7:17 am
The officials are told before the game to keep certain teams in the game if it gets close, no doubt, why else would they make up phony calls that were not there? That crew needs to be benched. They have screwed up two games already. Try doing that on your job and see what happens
So what
October 20th, 2009
7:23 am
If ya’ll did an article like this every time an ACC official messed up a call, you would have several a week.
Quit whining about it. Yeah, there probably is politics involved. The SEC wants to have 2 BCS teams. They’ll do what they can to help that.
You just need to move on.
We need to move to a system without conference refs, but until then, we just have to live with it.
and no, I will not follow you on twitter
-J Swofford (a little girl)
chazzo
October 20th, 2009
7:23 am
Penalizing a team FIFTEEN yards because someone on that team jumps up and down is just plain ludicrous. Administrators and coaches need to learn that just because they have a big meeting does not mean they need to come up with rule changes every year.
topdawg70
October 20th, 2009
7:26 am
I learned a long time ago to look hard at any coincidence when people are involved and see who might benefit. I don’t know about conspiracy theories, I admit to being a DAWG fan and pulling for the Hogs, BUT, it seemed strange to me that 3 calls in a row, at the end of the game, with that game on the line, ALL WENT AGAINST ARK. I also think Bobby Petrino is a jerk and if he gets pounded in the SEC it would be great. I just hope that crew is not in Jacksonville.
Barry Osborne
October 20th, 2009
7:27 am
Surely after all this time, you know there is no such word as towards. Toward. Same with forward. There is no forwards. Thank you for your time and attention.
Simple Rule Change
October 20th, 2009
7:28 am
Enter your comments here
Dabo
October 20th, 2009
7:28 am
If you are going to call excessive celebration, call it on St. Tebow too! The guy goes out of his mind when he gets a big 1st down. Never mind a touchdown and what he does, which is totally outrageous. Tony, if you read this, please tell us why you think he never gets called for excessive celebration.
JB
October 20th, 2009
7:29 am
JB here, the original………………………………………………………………….It’s just like when Jordan played in the NBA, in a tight game, he never got a whistle for anything, Walking, three second rule( what a joke that is) palming the ball and blocking a shot and hitting the guy with his body, NEVER called. Tebow, same thing. If you APPLIED the rule as A J Green was called. Tebow would have 25 or 30 celebration flags on him thus far. He IS one big Celebration after all his TWO YARD scores. I’m surprised Al Sharpton hasn’t spoken up about this. Aj was drawing attention to himself. What the hell is Tebow doing?
Bill Will
October 20th, 2009
7:30 am
Good article from associated press concerning the sorry SEC refs that did the Ga/LSU game and then the Florida/Arkansas game Saturday. Another gaffle, who’s suprised.
The head of the SEC officials happens to be Rogers Redding, he was handpicked by the previous SEC head official, Bobby Gaston, another Ga. Tech graduate.
Redding, a 1965 Georgia Tech graduate, was vice chancellor of academic affairs and a professor of physics at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.a Ga. Tech graduate, (Yep, a physics professor) Are you beginning to see a trend here.
Evidently they love Florida and anybody but the Georgia Bulldogs. SEC football and basketball is not fun to watch because of the OFFICIALS. Same problems in high school football. Normally the home team gets the calls making it almost impossible for visiting teams to win. That’s in SEC football, SEC basketball, and GHSA high school football. But certain teams get favored treatment home and away.And certain teams get bad calls all the time. Bad refs should get called out and put on u-tube. Remember Al Ford, Penn Wages, Michael Watson (LSU fame) all big time cheaters.
Denver Dog
October 20th, 2009
7:32 am
What fomerly was the best officiating in the country is now way down the list. The reason is that there is no consistentcy to the calls. The call against Arkansas was rediculous as was the pass interference. Urban Meyer on the field while the team is at the line, is another one that these guys seem to consider OK. Being the son of a former SEC ref, he would surely roll over in his grave if he saw these calls. In the case of the Arkansas call, I would like to know why it was called. What was the mindset of that ref, and it must have been the head official in the crew that made the call.
Silliness, there is a multi-million dollar outcom if all things play out right. It is not the number 1 and 2 in the SEC game for ratings, it is the guarantee that one of those two will be in the MNC BCS championship. I think that the SEC is the strongest conference by a long shot, but maybe it would do the NCAA some good to have Boise in the mix, playing against TCU. Then maybe all this voters putting weak scheduled teams in the top 10 will change. Right now the BCS is a joke, teams that play good teams, LSU , who loses to UF, are rated behind teams that squeak by Tulsa. Give me a break.
Gatorzip74
October 20th, 2009
7:32 am
I’m a Gator fan and I agree that the personal foul was a horrible call and the P/I call in the endzone was a judgement call, it s borderline at best, but what do you expect. This is the SEC, the home teams always have the advantage. Visiting teams should know this going in. If those calls wentagainst UF in Tiger Stadium, it would not have surprised me one bit.
UGA fans need to get over yourselves with your call, the refs even made up for it. Try stopping a 50 yrd TD run and then maybe you’ll win the game. By the way, I hear the Waffle House in Shreveport is a great place to eat.
Bart
October 20th, 2009
7:32 am
Good topic and focus on the NCAA specifically, where one bone-head call at any point in the season could completely alter a team’s year, bowl opportunity and even a coach’s job security. This issue, along with a stubborn refusal to organize a true playoff system, has made college football go the way of the AL and NBA in my world: non-existent. At least in the NFL one call might affect the outcome of a single game but the bleeding stops there. The only team sports worthy of investing any time and money are doubtless the NFL, NL baseball and college basketball.
Fairness
October 20th, 2009
7:35 am
Bill – LSU got the same call right after GA did. Kicked off from the 15 just like GA did. However, GA didn’t do anything with the opportunity. LSU did.
GoVols
October 20th, 2009
7:38 am
I, like many of you, watch a lot of football on Saturdays. The only conference that seems to have officiating problems week in and week out is the SEC. There always seems to be several instances when the entire group of referees huddle together and then surprise us with the call. Are they trained differently than other conference referees???
m
October 20th, 2009
7:40 am
The sec sucks…and the sec officials suck. And Tony crying about officials because his tems sucks….SUCKS.
Low down on officials….sec officials are bad….acc officials are worse. The difference is acc officials are universally bad to the point of incompetency. They don’t necessarily favor any one team…they are just bad for everybody.
The sec officials are just about as bad…but they favor certain teams over others and they definitely favor sec over non-conference teams. If they make a bad call against a non-conference team it is no big deal. If they make a bad call against an sec team they are suspended and threatened and cried about by Tony and all the other redneck sec fans.
If a call goes against an acc team it is no big whoop. If it goes against an sec team you hear about it for 20 years.
Bottom line is the sec is the crybaby, full of excuses league. And the sec is the weakest I have ever seen it in my llfetime…and that is why Tony and all the other sec crybabies are complaining about officials.
Besides, the acc is going to beat the sec 4 out of 7 this year just like they beat the sec 6 out of 10 last year. TECH will be the the unofficial champion by going 3-0 against the sec…but winning against the pitiful sec this year is NOTHING to brag about.
Simple Rule Change
October 20th, 2009
7:40 am
What about one simple rule change –
Make the 1st “excessive celebration” call against a team a warning to the head coach and not a yardage penalty. After a warning a team will know the next call could cost them the game.
greg
October 20th, 2009
7:44 am
Never seen it so bad. Clemson lost to GT because of a late holding call on Clemson that was not holding. The AJ Green call was horrible. There is no rime or reason behind many of these calls. All random and inconsistent.
Chopdawg
October 20th, 2009
7:44 am
Penalties that have no effect on actual plays on the field–such as “excessive celebration”–just don’t need to be called, period. “Excessive celebration” is not a penalty like “holding” might be, because if you “hold” you give your team an immediate unfair advantage during an actual football play. “Excessive celebrations” happen after plays are over and mean nothing to the actual outcome of the game.
I don’t see what’s so wrong with the NFL rule about this type of activity. “Excessive celebration” is rarely called (although it IS a penalty if you kick the ball away, after a play, like one player did last night). If we feel there must be some restraint on celebrations, let it be like the bench warnings teams get for coaches out of the box: the team first is warned, then the next time the same infraction occurs, the penalty’s assessed.
Bill Will
October 20th, 2009
7:45 am
Tim Teebow, is he not man enough to stand up and say that the SEC OFFICIALS show favortism to him and his team all the time. How does he get away with the personal celebrations all the time. How does he get great spots all the time. If he is so great (and that he is a great quarterback, can’t be denied) but, does he not feel any SHAME ?
Vol85
October 20th, 2009
7:50 am
Even as someone who had an obvious cheering interest in the UT vs. UGA game two weeks ago, I couldn’t help but wonder why it was the Vols didn’t receive a personal foul flag for excessive celebration when it appeared that many of the players were jumping up and down on the sideline (and a little bit out onto the field of play) celebrating at some point in the second half. I was thinking that UGA must have been wondering the same thing. Of course, in the case of Georgia, they had done the same thing two years ago vs. Florida. Heck, it was even orchestrated. Who knows. It’s all so bleeping subjective.
As for the “conspiracy theories” re: UF, Tony, I’m sure you’re right, but sometimes perception is held in higher value than reality. Case in point: How many times is trailer park trash, can’t get open unless he cheats Riley “Jorts” Cooper going to be able to pull an opposing DB’s jersey or push off without it resulting in a flag? Follow the train of thought: despite a roster loaded with heralded pass catchers, aside from the Gator TE no one else seems to be able to make themselves available as a target for Tebow except his room mate, Cooper. Take Cooper’s aforementioned antics out of play and Tebow is down to one true receiver (again, we’re not talking about Demps and Rainey out of the backfield or in some type of H-Back position here), his very impressive TE. This puts even MORE pressure on an already overworked and, thanks to his own head coach, abused QB to take matters into his own hands. Tebow is, without question, a credit to college athletics. But can he continue to do this with only one receiving option and acting like a Dan Kendra with better accuracy?
Burgess
October 20th, 2009
7:53 am
I’ve never been a conspiracy theory person. But watching the last minute of the UGA-LSU game and the Arkansas-Florida game, I can’t help but wonder about it. I don’t question that crew’s ability….I question their integrity. The personal foul call was obviously terrible…..but so were the pass interference call against Arkansas and the NO call on the offensive pass interference that should have been against Florida. How can you miss 3 calls that bad in crunch time ? The officials clearly handed the game to Florida.
Sautee Dawg
October 20th, 2009
7:56 am
Top Dawg
You hit the nail. Tebow will win another Heisman this season, D-Mac from Arkansas won the other one that was handed to Tebow. ESPN will see to it that he gets another one. His touchdown record he’ll own after this season is impressive but, with over half of them coming in wins over Charelston Southern, Troy, Citadel, and Western Kentucky,
Officiating has become a joke, usually holding which they say can be called on every play, is mostly called on a play that kills a drive for a team.
I predict that this years officiating crew will have at least 2 or 3 controversial calls in the Ga. vs Fla. game. 2 or 3 calls that will stop a drive for one team or the other.
Tebow will not get a penalty for skipping through the endzone and beating his chest, only thing worse than watching this is listening to Gary Danielson of CBS crow about how every play Tebow makes is the greatest ever. Last week against Ark Tebow was sacked and Danielson commented how this sack was a good one because it didn’t take Fla out of fieldgoal range. What a joke.
Fairness
October 20th, 2009
7:57 am
Clemson lost because they didn’t score enough points in the alloted 60 minutes. AND I can prove it.
JB
October 20th, 2009
7:57 am
FAirness – Bill – LSU got the same call right after GA did. Kicked off from the 15 just like GA did. However, GA didn’t do anything with the opportunity. LSU did.
And that justifies a bad a game changing call??? Sheeeesh! Change your moniker to moron, please.
HBTD!!!
George P. Burdell
October 20th, 2009
8:00 am
Tony,
I agree but it took you the UGA game on a questionable call that is equally questionable as to whether or not it cost UGA the game. Why no uproar on the Tech-UNC game where there is absolutely no debating that the officials screwed up on something anyone who has watched 2 games in the last 5 years would know. No judgement call there, they messed it up. Sure it didn’t cost Tech the game and they went on to win handily, but it was a pivotal point in the game and it didn’t have to work out that way.
I hate officials having such influence over the game but this has been going on for years. I also think fans tend to look at the calls made at the very end differently. The reality is a screwed up call in the first quarter is every bit as bad. A game is the combination of a bunch of plays and the ones at the end don’t count more than the others. Yes, it adds to the drama but they don’t count more. A team that gave up a TD in the first quarter on a bad call and then loses on the last play of the game is no different than a team that goes out and loses on a bad call to end the game.
lefty fielder
October 20th, 2009
8:01 am
The inconsistency of the unsportsmanlike call (not just in the SEC either) is what is so baffling. AJ and Sheppard glance into the crowd and get a flag. Nesbitt scores and points into the crowd and doesn’t get flagged. Tebow runs for a first down and growls at the guys making the tackle . . . no flag.
Dawg Tired
October 20th, 2009
8:01 am
Tony – Yep, I think you are wrong. Listen, this crew is either totaly incompetent or totally lacks integrity. Based upon the AJ call and the Arkansas personal foul call, I submit no body could be that incompetent. I clearly think the evidence, and I am a lawyer, points to a bias towards protecting the SEC’s highest ranked teams from being upset. There is just too much money on the line. Getting to the national champinship game has so many benefits, including the money.
That being said, even if you go with your view, surely it must be admitted that the SEC must do more than issue an apology to teams which have been robbed of a win each week. Name one other job, other than being a politician (suppose you think they’re honest too?), where you can get away with such a performance or nonperformance of your duties and still have a job the next week.
They shafted Georgia and they shafted Arkansas. Both “shaftings” enable a highly ranked team to win a game they probably would have lost without the call. Coincidences? In your words, COME ON!
Jeffro Bodeen
October 20th, 2009
8:02 am
Maybe we should look into who the bookie is for this referee crew! Dirty, dirty referees!!
southga
October 20th, 2009
8:03 am
Okay Mr. Barnhart, one would assume the logical question would be, “What is the SEC going to do about it?” Will they not suspend this crew? Fine this crew? And why would this crew be given another marquis, nationally-televised game after butchering the game in Athens?
Someone said it earlier in the string, but college football is about a year away from being equivalent to professional wrestling.
McDawg
October 20th, 2009
8:05 am
and they didn’t call numerous helmet to helmets in the LSU game one of which broke a kids jaw
did you see the uSC-ND game-someone is going to get killed-Taylor Mays is the biggest cheap shot since Ronnie Lott-that is the kinda of stuff the officials need to be calling
red hill
October 20th, 2009
8:08 am
I think it’s become what southern politics has always been. I do not believe they are bad. I believe they are crooked and that the fix is in. Maybe they got in too deep with the gamblers or something. This is what we are stuck with until something is done.
McDawg
October 20th, 2009
8:10 am
as far s crooked referring goes-go back to some orange bowls in the early 90s ND-Colorado (goal line stand that CU clearly scored on), ND Colorado (phantom clip against the rocket), FSU-Nebraska (fairly tale penalties against Nebraska final drive that GAVE bowden 1st Nat Championship)- and tell me the fix was not in
god and greyhound
October 20th, 2009
8:11 am
Frankly, it’s “silliness” to immediately dispose of the argument that the refs are trying to fix the game. Not saying that’s what happened, but it’s clear Tony would rather take the optimistic view of human nature here by default, rather than question what is going on right in front of our eyes.
This has now happened with this same crew twice in three weeks, in situations which would have been very unfavorable to the SEC had they not been interfered with. Also, why does Tebow never get called for his unsportsmanlike antics?
It is not an impossibility that the referees are showing premeditated favoritism.
Of course for a distinguished “newsman” and part of the college football establishment like Tony, it’s far easier to live in and perpetuate a dreamworld where people don’t take advantage of other people, these sorts of things are never a possibility, and people who suggest them are easily filed away as “conspiracy theorists” deserving of our scorn.
Nice article Tony.
GW
October 20th, 2009
8:11 am
As so many have said before, perception is often reality and the perception is that Florida/Tebow is the sacred cow. The 20 hour practice rule is likely contributing to so many penalties and uneven and inconsistent play by so many teams. Vandy sacked Cox on Sat., stole his towel and threw it into the air, yet no call. Was the ref blind?
David
October 20th, 2009
8:12 am
Along with bad officiating, what I want to know is how a crew in the review booth gives Maryland a touchdown catch against Clemson when the ball clearly hit the ground… and it wasn’t even close to being borderline. It flat out hit the ground.
bad brad
October 20th, 2009
8:13 am
Fire them all and start over, starting at the top w/Redding. High school refs would do a better job.
Gator Al
October 20th, 2009
8:15 am
Get over it. Maybe some day some of the lessor SEC programs will be in position to have calls made their way. Until then, it’s a Gator world baby!!!
dgroy
October 20th, 2009
8:16 am
Folks, football officials put their pants on just like we do……one leg at a time……they’re not superhuman, they make mistakes; however, it’s the players themselves that cause most of the flag throwing in the “excessive celebration” penalties. Most of these players look like idiots in their celebrations like……wow, mom look what I did that I was supposed to do as a football player playing for the school that is giving me a free education and a chance to go on to the next level……wasn’t I great? Playing football is a job, do it with class and learn how to live with the rest of society. Teach it, CMR and you’ll have a better team!!!!!
gatorrashad
October 20th, 2009
8:19 am
As a Gator fan…I never seen officiating in college so bad like it is now….it sucks for all……that is why I dont watch pro ball cus I hate those refs and stupid rules which have ruined the game…you cant even touch the QB
Northern Sympathizer
October 20th, 2009
8:20 am
Agree with Rockc82 post that the gators do receive special treatment from officials. Tebow’s conduct after scores could be called excessive celebration, but it has never been flagged. Why? And while the gators are a well coached team, they never seem to draw a flag when it matters.
Regarding the celebration penalty specifically, the NCAA should modify the rule as it is clear the refs can’t implement the rule fairly. I still remember the Vandy celebration flag in 3OT that cost the Comms in the swamp four years ago.
Les
October 20th, 2009
8:21 am
There is a conspiracy here. The officiating crew was working with a bias toward Florida. Plain and simple. Tony can call it silliness, and stick his head in the sand. But the evidence is obvious.
Dawgfan
October 20th, 2009
8:22 am
Let’s do a wholesale trade with another conference. Any conferences out there think their ref’s are worse than the SEC please raise your hand. That’s what I thought. Guess we just need to start with firing the refs that seem to be trying to win the Pontiac Game Changing Performance award and any administrator or official that went to Ga Tech. No way they are not biased.
m Stands for "moron"
October 20th, 2009
8:26 am
m, we get it. You believe the SEC sucks… You believe UGA sucks… You believe that Tony sucks… What kind of a life do you have that you spend the better part of your day lurking on a blog just to tell everyone that they suck??? Are you a mental patient? Do you refuse to take your meds? I don’t understand it… I mean I don’t like opera, but I don’t feel compelled to lurk on the New York Metropolitan Opera blog to tell everyone how much their choice of entertainment sucks. Likewise, I don’t like Florida (I respect what they have done). But I don’t feel like spending my life trying to tweak the fans of that program by hanging out on pro-Gator blogs and posting hate in an atttempt to drag everyone down into my own personal hell…
So what happened to you? Was your father a big Dawg fan and he left you and your Mom when you were young? Where you held up at gun point by Hairy Dog? Were you attcked by a pack of rabid bulldogs?? Or maybe you are just the most bitter, hateful, nastiest, jackass on the face of the planet? I used to get mad when I read the stuff you write. Now I just have pity for you. I hope you get help soon. And to paraphrase Dean Wormer from Animal House:
“Fat, stupid, and angry is no way to go through life, son.”
Nativebird
October 20th, 2009
8:26 am
I know it’s controversial, but It is TIME for booth (or “official”) review for on-field judgement calls. Getting a wrong personal foul, or wrong interference call right is just as important as whether a receiver had his footdown or did he break the plane.
RAMBLE ON!!!
October 20th, 2009
8:27 am
Sigh.
I noticed Tony has taken down this article crying about the officials after the LSU game from the archives. Hmmmm
Luckily, I’ve saved some of it: 10-05-09 AJC
I have been covering college football as a professional journalist for 32 years and, without being too dramatic here, there is a good chance that the excessive celebration call on Georgia’s A.J. Green last Saturday against LSU is the single worst officiating mistake I have seen in my three decades of covering the sport.
Soulja Girl
October 20th, 2009
8:27 am
Beeea Da Aeeeeeeeeeee, Saban!!
Beeea Da Aeeeeeeeeeee, Saban!!
Beeea Da Aeeeeeeeeeee, Saban!!
Saban gunna beea daa Kiffins aeee on dis train!!!
Freddie Blassie
October 20th, 2009
8:27 am
Hide the flag in your trunks and then throw it when nobody looking
Jim Mora Jr.
October 20th, 2009
8:28 am
This officiating crew’s reward? Alabama-Tennessee this weekend. I’m sure Lane Kiffin is cringing right about now.
Steve
October 20th, 2009
8:28 am
Tony, you said:
This is now two major mistakes that had a direct bearing on the outcome of a high-profile game.
You’re still whining about the jawja call and have no direct evidence that the call in question determined the outcome of the game. You know what did? Arky’s two missed FG’s and a complete whiff by Mallett on a wide open FB in the end zone with no gator within 8 yards of him. Ole miss took care of business when the Gators slacked last year and Arky didn’t.
Let’s talk about officiating, but leave the fantasy soap opera aspects out of it.
Tom, Resident Georgia Fan
October 20th, 2009
8:28 am
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Thanks Tony.
RAMBLE ON!!!
October 20th, 2009
8:28 am
And just two weeks later, the second worst officiating mistake I guess?
Black Helicopters
October 20th, 2009
8:29 am
Tony,
Exactly why are the conspiracy theories “silliness?” You act like it is unheard of for officials to be fixing games. Was it not just last year that we had the scandal with NBA referees? What makes you think that in the SEC, which has a FAR less transparent selection process for its officials, that there couldn’t be something under-handed going on? The fact is, the SEC’s admission of a mistake the first time meant absolutely jack. They said “oh, we’ll have a talk with them about it,” and then the same crew turned around and AGAIN fabricated a penalty in a close game in a pivotal moment that, undeniably, assisted the #1 team in staying #1. Now, I shrugged off the conspiracy theories the first time this happened… but this is twice now. The SEC is just hoping people talk about this for a couple of days and let it go. But the truth of the matter is, as you said, the entire crew needs to be suspended for the rest of the season. I would go farther than that though. I say Rogers Redding needs to be fired and replaced, not allowed to hand-pick a successor. It is a crime against college football that such high-profile games are being decided by the guys in stripes instead of the guys playing the game, and that is ultimately Redding’s fault.
Dink
October 20th, 2009
8:30 am
That was a great post Tony and could not agree more.
Dan A.
October 20th, 2009
8:31 am
Tech, LSU and UF fans defending the officials and dismissing the talk about poor officiating as the whining of the losers. I wonder why that is.
Yeah….if my team had the officials to thank for a win, I’d probably act like a jackass too.
WTH
October 20th, 2009
8:31 am
Yea, that’s right, let’s review every call. Enjoy, your six hours at the games. Lets fire all the refs that make bad calls. Who replaces them? Before long the refs want make any calls, then there want be any reviews. Since there would be no calls by the refs, then they would not have an effect on the outcome of the games.
Man you people are going overboard. Officiating calls, good and bad, generally equal out over time.
Atlanta Gator
October 20th, 2009
8:31 am
Okay, folks, it’s time to take a deep breath.
Yes, the SEC officiating could have been better so far this year. And one SEC crew has made potentially game-changing errors in two games, but marginal calls are made in every game.
Yes, the Gators probably did get the benefit of one or more marginal calls in Saturday’s game against Arkansas, but does anyone really believe that there is some sort of actual conspiracy to place Alabama and Florida in the SEC Championship Game this year? Sorry, but if you believe that, we have nothing to say to each other. If so, you need to also look into Area 51, the grey aliens, and the Illuminati.
These things tend to go in cycles, and they ultimately break against all teams more or less evenly. I can remember the 2006 Auburn-Florida game in which a couple of very marginal calls by the referees changed the entire character of the game. Mind you, I’m not bitching or whining about that loss, I’m just saying that the football bounces funny for everyone some times. If you think that there is some sort of conspiracy, I dare any blogger to provide a link to any statistical analysis that shows any sort of bias in penalties across the SEC. Good luck with that—-that study doesn’t exist.
Eric
October 20th, 2009
8:32 am
I agree in spirit with your thoughts on this issue. I do not agree that the two calls in question affected the outcome of the games. It’s possible that the call in Gainesville mattered, but probably not. That being said, they should get it right. It’s far too important to too many people to get it wrong. And there should be serious consequences when they screw up…especially when they screw up on a regular basis. War Eagle…anyway!
Fleischman in Chi Towns bed
October 20th, 2009
8:32 am
GET OUT MA FACE LANE!
GET OUT MA FACE LANE!
m Stands for ...
October 20th, 2009
8:33 am
m
Middle-aged, fat, bitter & bald hatemonger. Mad at the world and EVERYBODY is stupid except him.
Dear God, please do not let me be like him when I get old.
Where's my crack pipe?
October 20th, 2009
8:33 am
The SEC can never be the “ELITE” conference in Football with such $hitty officiating. This crew should be fired.
Tech75
October 20th, 2009
8:34 am
It’s the same in any sport. The issue is – where do you draw the line, and how do you get and maintain consistency across all the officiating crews?
I was at the Tech/Va Tech game, and saw two dozen holds that could have been called on Derrick Morgan, but were not. Clear takedowns. Only one call was made, later in the game. Why then, in particular? If you are an official, and you know something is going on, call it early, set the tone and the standard. Talk to the players if you have to: “number 74, you have held your man the last 3 plays. Any more and I’ll flag you.” Heck, talk to the coach if you need to. But don’t just decide at random when you’re going to start calling it – or worse yet, call it late in the game and possibly affect the outcome.
Gatorzip74
October 20th, 2009
8:34 am
This just in…….. SEC Officials Indicted in Kennedy Murder Case
cajdawg
October 20th, 2009
8:35 am
God and greyhound,
Beautiful post. My sentiments exactly.
Me
October 20th, 2009
8:35 am
WTH. It’s YEAH and it’s WON’T.
Gen Neyland
October 20th, 2009
8:36 am
A slippery slope here. We have the benefit of multiple slo-mo angles, they have field level live. In some instances, it’s not the flag thrown but the call missed that alters outcomes. It goes both ways. They huddle to try and get the call right, but we’ve all seen the success and failure of that system. Maybe coaches given an Instant Replay Challenge opportunuity on questionable calls that will be decided in the booth in the future..? Where will it end..? Play ball!!!!!!
WTH
October 20th, 2009
8:36 am
Dan A.,
So your team, whoever that is, has never benefited from an official’s call?
Dan A.
October 20th, 2009
8:37 am
No, these penalties do not “even out in time.” That is possibly the stupidest defense of this sham of officiating I’ve ever seen, and yet I see it with mind-boggling frequency, usually from (not surprisingly) gator fans.
When a call costs a team the game, when do you suggest that the penalty has a chance to “even itself out?” Will Arkansas get a call in a future game against a different #1 team when they are on the verge of upsetting them that will go in their favor and help them win?
Will Tim Tebow suddenly start getting flagged for the unsportsmanlike conduct that he displays on a weekly basis?
Will Florida be penalized for late hits on the QB, and players like Trattou, Doe and Spikes standing over players they’ve tackled and mouthing off?
The answer to all those questions is “NO.”
Nachos
October 20th, 2009
8:38 am
David….. dont blame the refs for ALLBARN losing last Saturday. Blame your team because they are HORRIBLE!
36 – 0, just the beginning barners
Dan A.
October 20th, 2009
8:38 am
WTH,
No, never from a call as egregious as the two that are the subject of this particular discussion. Benefited from minor calls like holding or pass interference that we’ve all been hosed on, but never from penalties that were flat out made up.
Brooks
October 20th, 2009
8:39 am
The key play in the LSU game was not converting on the 2-point play. If we convert the 2-point play then we are up 3 with breathing room and at worst I think we go to overtime. Being up 1 the margin of error was razor thin. Your special teams coaches send our guys out there in a tricky kickoff formation that was illegal. That should not happen period. Kicking off from the 30 would have made a huge difference but very bad luck got us. The Arkansas personal foul call was horrendous. I would like to see one of those officials react to a 300+ pound running at them during or after a play. The guy had every right to defend himself. SEC officials do just step aside when the sideshow known as Tim Tebow does his theatrics every week. How has he not been flagged numerous times to this point. It’s called favoritism. Florida better watch out in a couple of weeks. I think the Dawgs will be ready. GO DAWGS!
Soulja Girl
October 20th, 2009
8:39 am
You thought I couldnt free style on you, Coach O???
jason
October 20th, 2009
8:39 am
Tony, the integrity of the officals is coming into play here. Also, there are to many instances where the officals are having a direct effect on the changing of a game. Now, I am not goimg to sit here and say that thhe calls on the drive is why ARK lost the game. What I amsaying is that I was watching one the best games of the SAT for 3 1/2 qt turn into a BS contest. I am tired of the refs taking the games out of the players hands.
While speaking of the 2 celebration calls in the UGA/LSU game. Is it me or was there about 2 dozen times UF could have been called for excessice celebration penalties in the ARK game alone? The officiating in the SEC has alot to be desired. One more thing the 15 yard face mask is total BS. They need the 5 and 15 yard penaltie back.
buckblue
October 20th, 2009
8:41 am
Don’t forget Cooper pushing off on the LSU DB that led to UF’s only touchdown…..
elcubismo
October 20th, 2009
8:41 am
Tony, your readers clearly disagree with you. And they should.
In game after game, we’ve all seen it: the SEC refs take care of their own. In non-conference play, they miss obvious calls or pull flags out of for imaginary fouls to give SEC teams a distinct advantage. In conference play, it’s the same drill for the high-ranked teams.
Non-conference games should use refs from different conferences altogether.
Kabby
October 20th, 2009
8:44 am
Don’t skip over the conspiracy theory too quickly. There is just too much money involved. There is definitely something wrong with the officiating in the SEC, and ABC/ESPN, and the SEC have a lot to gain by having the Gators undefeated in the SEC Championship.
Someone should take a closer look into this.
Simple Answer
October 20th, 2009
8:46 am
BIG MONEY TALKS.–College Football is big business with big profits.–Just ask ESPN and CBS.
The Chief
October 20th, 2009
8:46 am
Referees clearly are on the short end of any game. Nobody really wants them doing their job, but keeping the rules or laws of a game are critical to fair play and safety. As a soccer referee, I always tell both coaches that I cannot guarantee I’ll make every call right, but I will guarantee two things. I’ll guarantee that I will try to be fair and I guarantee that I’ll be where I’m supposed to be to make the call. For soccer, that requires a little foot work. I’ve learned not to make stupid, cheap calls. I’ve also learned that there are plenty of referees out there who go to clinics or meet with their crews after a match and talk about calls they made just like players talk about plays they made. Referees, umpires, officials, etc, are a part of the game, but should never become the game. That’s what this crew has apparently done, and Tony is right, it’s time for some refresher training. It’s also time for the league to lay down some direction.
Ms Bulldawg
October 20th, 2009
8:47 am
If you look beyond the Ga LSU game & the FL ARK game, you will see that this particular crew has had quite a history of missed or botched calls over the past few years. It is a sorry state when you can remember a game because of the officiating (or lack of) instead of the game itself. How many times is the SEC going to apologize for the actions of this one particular crew? The SEC needs to take a serious look at the officials in question and consider terminating their contracts. Ineptitude should not be tolerated.
jason
October 20th, 2009
8:48 am
I also think HCs should have the right to challange a penalty in game. If you can review and change plays that are close, then why not penalties. It could fall under the same format with the one challange per half. That is what instant replay is for; to make sure these games are played as fair as they can be.
Also, the Vandy player that blocked that FG. I saw nothing wrong with the play. I don’t care what the rule book says. The player did not use another player for a height advantage. If the player jumps to make the play and comes down on another player, well that player should not have fell. It should be as in basketball on a blocked shot. I am a DAWG fan, and I guess in the grand scheme of the game that play did not matter, but it was still a horrible call against Vandy.
Phil
October 20th, 2009
8:49 am
Atlanta Gator,
Did anybody beleive that NBA officials were corrupt? It does happen. I’m not saying that the SEC is directly involved, but outside sources could be. You’re talking millions of dollars here.
If not corruption then these officials are worse than the Buffalo Wild Wings crews. How can the SEC allow these morons on the field? And this is supposedly the same crew that did the Ga-LSU game. How are they getting these big CBS games??
Where is Steve Shaw and his crew???? Steve Shaw is the best SEC official we have. I have yet to see him on a SEC game on CBS. I saw him doing another game(can’t remember who was playing now) and I was surprised to see him doing such a meaningless game.
These clowns that did the Florida-Arkansas game need to go back to Pee-Wee league or wherever they came from.
And Tony, don’t kid yourself, corruption does happen. Ask the NBA.
Jeremy
October 20th, 2009
8:49 am
For the love of God, are UGA fans still complaining about a call almost a month ago? Since then, they’ve lost to Tennessee. But hey, nice win against the Vols. That’ll show the pollsters.
UGA fans: You have an average team that should be happy to make it to a bowl game this year. With games against Florida, Auburn, and GT, you should be content with 6 wins and happy with 7. One more upset (Kentucky?) and you won’t even qualify for a bowl game.
Doc
October 20th, 2009
8:52 am
Oddly, the bogus calls (and hey had to be beyond “judgement” if the conference admitted they were wrong) both seemed to favor the higher-ranked teams, and were both made by the same crew, hired to officiate the same kind of high-profile, nationally televised games.
Hold off on conspiracy theories? Well, let’s see what happens when Georgia and Florida meet.