NFL: NFL fires Referee – because of missed call?

The NFL took an unusual step and dismissed one of its arbitrators with immediate effect. Referee Hugo Cruz is the first official to be dismissed for performance reasons in the Super Bowl era during the season.

Cruz last played in the Cleveland Browns game against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 6. Here he was particularly noticed for a missed call when Chargers-Left-Tackle Russell Okung should have been prosecuted for a false start and Philip Rivers threw a touchdown pass to Tyrell Williams (his second).

The league did not mention any details, which was the exact reason for the dismissal. However, according to an ESPN report, there are no indicators that the dismissal was due to off-field problems or disciplinary reasons.

In recent years, the NFL has only fired two referees. Normally, however, this is not done during the season. The performance of the referees is evaluated, but referees are usually not used for bad performances and are not appointed for another season.