Friday’s national ground shutdown won’t stop NFL teams from traveling to their road games on Sunday. This will, however, impact the ability of civil servants to get where they need to be.
The NFL announced that referee assignments have changed for Week 10. And the situation will result in one alternate referee serving as referee in two games on the same day.
“Due to the continued impact of nationwide air travel this weekend, the NFL has adjusted its officiating assignments for Week 10 games, reassigning officials to games within driving distance of their hometowns,” the NFL said in a statement. “The changes will require three alternate referees – referees Barry Anderson and Duane Heydt and side judge Don Willard (pictured) – to work as referees in the following matches: Carolina-New Orleans – Duane Heydt; Jacksonville-Tennessee – Barry Anderson; Miami-Indianapolis and Pittsburgh-Cincinnati – Don Willard.
“Each of the league’s 17 officiating teams has an identified alternate referee, and that individual trains throughout the year to work in the referee position if the need arises.”
The situation creates the likely unprecedented situation of a referee working two games in one day. Willard will take care of Dolphins-Colts at 1 p.m. ET, then he’ll make the 109-mile trip from Indianapolis to Cincinnati for Sunday night’s game.
What makes this unprecedented even more unusual is the fact that Willard’s usual team (led by referee Scott Novak) was not scheduled to work this weekend at all.
The announcement does not specify where the referees for these three matches will work, nor what their role will be. Shawn Smith was to be the Panthers-Saints referee, Alex Moore was to be the Jaguars-Titans referee, Carl Cheffers was to be the Dolphins-Colts referee and Clete Blakeman was to be the Steelers-Bengals referee.
The league’s press release also did not specify what other changes were required to established teams working together throughout the regular season.
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