NFL Fans All Agree On One Thing After Head Referee Report
CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 11: NFL officials line judge Rusty Baynes (59), referee Jerome Boger (23), and field judge/side judge Greg Gautreaux (80) discuss a call in a game between the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals on December 11, 2022, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, OH. (Photo by Jeff Moreland/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
A recent list of NFL referees' full-time jobs that was released to the public has sparked discourse around the football world.
Here's the list of NFL referees and their off-field jobs:
- Brad Allen — non-profit CEO
- Tra Blake — software quality assurance manager
- Clete Blakeman — attorney
- Carl Cheffers — sales manager
- Land Clark — chief building official
- Alan Eck — tax manager
- Adrian Hill — aerospace software engineer
- Shawn Hochuli — financial advisor
- John Hussey — sales representative
- Alex Kemp — insurance agent
- Clay Martin — high-school administrator/basketball coach
- Scott Novak — sales manager
- Brad Rodgers — college professor
- Shawn Smith — finance
- Ron Torbert — attorney
- Bill Vinovich — C.P.A.
- Craig Wrolstad — athletic director
With this list comes a common question from fans and analysts everywhere:
Why isn't being an NFL referee a full-time job?
"It’s pretty hard to take officiating seriously when their job isn’t even their main career focus. The NFL has zero excuse to not be paying referee full-time salaries. Stop worrying about 9-5s and learn how to call PI," one fan wrote.
"Wait refereeing isn’t their only job?!" another added.
"FULL-TIME REFS ARE NEEDED," another said.
As of 2020, the average NFL official earned an annual salary of $201,000. This significant yearly payday is further evidence that officials should be solely focused on being the best referees they can possibly be.
Making NFL referee jobs a full-time gig would allow increased training opportunities during the offseason, which could improve overall officiating during the regular season and playoffs.
