Parry became the second straight referee to retire after officiating the Super BowlGETTY IMAGES
Former NFL referee John Parry joining ESPN is the "latest in two troubling trends" for the league, as it is "losing its best officials to the TV networks, and it is having an unusual amount of turnover among its referees," according to Ben Volin of the BOSTON GLOBE. The NFL has now "lost its Super Bowl referee to retirement for two straight years." The "scrutiny and the paycheck (about $10,000-$12,000 per game) from officiating can’t compete with the cushy TV gigs" (BOSTON GLOBE, 4/6). NBCSPORTS.com's Peter King notes the NFL's agreement with the officials union "expires next March, so this is the last year -- and a very big one -- for this contract." The expiration of the deal could "force the NFL to do something it should have done before the current referee problems reared its head in the past 14 months: consider making all referees full-time officials, and compensating them with richer, multi-year deals to compete with the TV networks hiring them away from the league." The turnover among NFL officials is "alarming." King: "So what would happen if the NFL began offering referees three-year, $1.5-million contracts to work full-time for the league? And when I say full-time, I mean officials would still be able to do side jobs away from the NFL, just as long as they devoted the requisite full-time hours to the league job." More King: "Money’s not the only issue, though. Officials I’ve spoken with in the last couple of years admit the pressure and scrutiny have ratcheted up" (NBCSPORTS.com, 4/8).
