Written by Kevin Seifert at ESPN.com
Walt Anderson was hollering, “The half is not over!” again and again. And all I could think of was that scene in “Animal House” when Donald Sutherland, portraying an aggrieved college professor, told students scurrying out of his class: “Listen, I’m not joking! This is my job!”
Anderson blundered through the most ridiculous officiating sequence of the NFL season on Monday night. Given how quickly the NFL admitted his most egregious mistake, it’s fair to wonder what else might be in store for the veteran referee and his crew.
There is little doubt Anderson will receive a poor grade for his performance just before halftime in the Seattle Seahawks’ eventual 31-25 victory over the Buffalo Bills. His series of mistakes likely cost the Bills three points and forced a change in their endgame strategy.
But the NFL has additional options for addressing officiating mistakes. Given how blatant Anderson’s were — and how embarrassing the scene became — it’s not out of the question that they could be utilized in this instance.
Generally speaking, the NFL can suspend officials for errors in administration of games but not for poor judgment. One of the few known examples of a suspension occurred last season, when side judge Rob Vernatchi was sidelined for a game in 2015 because he failed to correct a clock malfunction.
In cases of poor judgment, however, the NFL has at times shifted officials or entire crews from a high-profile assignment to one that will draw less national attention. That’s what happened to back judge Greg Wilson last season when he missed an illegal bat penalty near the end of a game between the Seahawks andDetroit Lions. Later during the 2015 season, the entire Pete Morelli crew was re-assigned for similar reasons.
Were Anderson’s mistakes of judgment or administration? I would argue both. He and his crew simply misjudged a collision between cornerback Richard Sherman and Bills place-kicker Dan Carpenter, which NFL senior vice president of officiating Dean Blandino admitted almost immediately (via Twitter) was a foul for unnecessary roughness. Blandino later said on NFL Network that Anderson “didn’t think the contact was enough” to merit a penalty.
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