referees Page 1 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
NBA Finals officials include first-timer Curtis Blair
The league announced the 12 officials assigned to the 2026 NBA finals on Tuesday, with Curtis Blair making his first appearance and Scott Foster his 19th.,Game 1 between the New York Knicks and host San Antonio Spurs is on Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m. ET.,"Being selected to work the NBA Finals is th...
Report: NFL referees union schedules vote on new CBA
The NFL Referees Association has scheduled a vote for Thursday night on ratifying a new collective bargaining agreement with the NFL, ESPN reported on Tuesday.,Negotiations between the league and union have progressed, according to the report, with the current CBA slated to expire on May 31. Specifi...
Celtics' Jaylen Brown critical of refs for 'agenda,' calls out 76ers' Joel Embiid
Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown on Sunday criticized officiating in the team's first-round loss to Philadelphia and also pointed at 76ers center Joel Embiid for flopping.,Brown spoke on the streaming platform Twitch on Sunday, a day after the second-seeded Celtics lost Game 7 at home to the seventh...
NFLPA voices safety concerns over replacement refs
The NFL Players Association and NFL Referees Association have responded to the potential use of replacement officials this season by voicing concerns about player safety.,ESPN reported earlier this week that the league has begun compiling a list of replacement referees -- mostly from the low-college...
Report: NFL to begin hiring replacement referees
With talks stalled between the league and the referees' union, NFL owners reportedly have authorized the hiring of replacement officials.,League sources told ESPN on Sunday that owners are "alarmed" by the current state of the negotiations with the NFL Referees Association.,The NFL has compiled a li...
Mavs coach Jason Kidd fined $35K for ripping refs
The NBA fined Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd $35,000 on Monday for public criticism of the officials and using profane language during a media interview.,Kidd's remarks came after the Mavericks' 111-107 road loss to the Houston Rockets on Saturday.,Kidd was upset at the referees for not call...
Refs to start using earpieces to 'enhance accuracy'
Starting with Saturday's games, NBA referees will be equipped with earpieces in order to "improve game flow and enhance officiating accuracy," the league announced Friday.,This is the first phase of a planned two-phase program to help officials communicate in real time with the NBA Replay Center and...
NFL’s first all-Black ref crew is worth celebrating, but it should not have taken this long
Last night, history was made — the first all African American officiating crew took the field for an NFL game. This moment deserves to be recognized, but it is also infuriating that in the year 2020, barriers still need to be broken. I hate that we have to celebrate this moment....
German Sunday League Player Knocks Referee Out Cold After Receiving Red Card
It’s not clear what this unidentified player did to earn a red card in a German amateur soccer match between FSV Münster and TV Smend, but he definitely deserved a red and even more for his reaction to the card, which was to punch the referee’s lights out:...
Will Muschamp Went Ballistic On "Gutless" Officials After Crucial Missed Penalty
South Carolina dropped a tough one against Florida yesterday, giving up three touchdowns to the Gators in the fourth quarter to lose 38-27. Their bid for a second straight top-ten upset unraveled in frustrating fashion, as officials seemed to miss clear penalties on two of the biggest plays of the g...
Patrick Mahomes's First Pick Of The Season Happened After A Bizarre, Sketchy Officiating Decision
With the Kansas City Chiefs leading the Texans by a touchdown in the second quarter of Sunday’s game, quarterback Patrick Mahomes drove his team to the edge of the red zone, only to throw it to Houston safety Tashaun Gipson in the end zone. However, officials flagged cornerback Lonnie Johnson Jr. fo...
Heroic Cycling World Champion Wins After Fixing His Own Dislocated Shoulder, Only For Officials To DQ Him Over Bullshit Rule Violation
The cycling world championships have been replete with heartbreak, and today provided the coup de grâce....
Referee Shot In The Head By Cannon During College Football Game
An official was shot by a cannon while working Maine Maritime Academy’s homecoming football game Saturday against Massachusetts Maritime Academy. Yep, a cannon. In the head. During the game. He’s on the right side of the frame in the video:...
NFL Rules Are Just Suggestions
Tom Brady was watching Titans-Jaguars Thursday night and, like every other person with functional eyes, did not enjoy the experience. Only he overcame his revulsion and fear of being found out, tweeting about it and saying all the holding penalties were ruining his fun....
Pac-12 Admits Officials Missed Critical Penalty On Last Play In Arizona State's Upset Of Michigan State
Things got weird at the end of Arizona State’s ugly 10-7 victory over No. 18 Michigan State in East Lansing last Saturday. The Spartans were in ASU territory and with 11 seconds left in the fourth quarter, MSU kicker Matt Coghlin appeared to connect from 42 yards and redeem two earlier misses by sen...
Interminable Mike Pereira Rules Monologue Interrupted Several Times By Ghastly Football
The NFL’s got to clean this crap up. The Thursday night game between the Panthers and Buccaneers was already a hellish, dismal slog, featuring punchless, amateurish offense run by a pair of deeply disinterested quarterbacks. Then the fourth quarter rolled around, and what might’ve otherwise been at ...
Referee Clock Boner Very Nearly Screws Saints In Monday Night Thriller
Monday night’s Texans-Saints game ended with two incredible late drives and a dramatic walk-off 58-yard field goal to put the home team over the top, 30–28. However you feel about the Saints and their fans, one positive takeaway from their victory is it managed to wipe out a pretty significant refer...
FIBA Officials Missed A Call So Bad They Got Kicked Out Of The World Cup And Inspired A Ferocious Coach Meltdown
Lithuania’s run at the FIBA World Cup ended this morning against the Dominican Republic, though their chances of advancing through the second group stage were killed on Saturday when they lost to France by three points. The nature of that loss was highly controversial....
WNBA Referee Walks Into Astou Ndour’s Hand, Delivers Emphatic Ejection
You can’t touch a referee. That’s the rule in basketball and basically every sport. So, the ejection of the Chicago Sky’s Astou Ndour from today’s game against the Washington Mystics was understandable. But the reaction of WNBA ref Kevin Fahey was a bit over the top....
Referee Tony Corrente Pays Tribute To Late Red Cashion With Signature "First Dowwwwwn" Call
Early in the first quarter of Packers-Bears, Tony Corrente, the game’s referee, announced a defensive holding call against Green Bay. At the end of it, he paid tribute to late former NFL referee Red Cashion by doing his own version of the classic elongated “first dowwwwwwwn” call....