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BREAKING: NFL Announces Interesting Referee Assignments For Divisional Round Playoff Games

The NFL has announced the referee assignments for the four NFL Divisional Round playoff games this weekend.

The NFL Football Operations X/Twitter account announced the following referees for Divisional Round weekend: John Hussey ( Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens), Alex Kemp (Green Bay Packers vs. San Francisco 49ers), Bill Vinovich (Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Detroit Lions) and Shawn Hochuli ( Kansas City Chiefs vs. Buffalo Bills).

Referee assignments for the Divisional Round of the #NFLPlayoffs 🏈 pic.twitter.com/ZbIdjF3Yx3 — NFL Football Operations (@NFLFootballOps) January 16, 2024

Referees for the postseason are selected based on how they scored in a grading system . The NFL does this with the goal of providing teams with the best possible quality of officiating for the postseason, though this obviously doesn’t always end up being the case.

For what it’s worth, none of these referees were assigned for Super Wild Card Weekend that concluded on Monday.

Between these four officials, Vinovich is the only one that served as the head referee for a Super Bowl game. Vinovich and his crew were assigned Super Bowl 49 ( New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks) and Super Bowl 54 (Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Francisco 49ers).

TRENDING NEWS

BREAKING: Atlanta Falcons Expected To Receive “Severe” Punishment This Week For Tampering With Kirk Cousins, Loss Of Draft Picks Very Likely

Fans may note that referee Brad Allen was not assigned for Super Wild Card Weekend nor the Divisional Round. Allen’s crew was heavily criticized this year for several missed calls late in the Chiefs-Packers Week 13 game, as well as the whole “illegal touching” fiasco in the Lions-Dallas Cowboys Week 17 contest.

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Written by Alex Hoegler

Alex Hoegler is a news and script writer at TPS. A lifelong sports fan, he attended Langara College in Vancouver, where he graduated with a diploma in journalism. … Read More

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Nfl playoffs referees: who are the officials for divisional weekend 2024, share this article.

Happy NFL divisional round weekend to all who celebrate! It’s time for the playoffs to continue after the wild card weekend, and that means you want to know everything there is to know about the games you’re watching.

If you came here, you’re probably looking to see who the officials are for every playoff game this weekend in 2024. Fear not! We have answers.

With  four games on the schedule from Saturday to Sunday, there will be that many officiating crews, and we’ll give you the name of the referee for each of them who will announce penalties and such during the contests.

Here’s the full list:

Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens: John Hussey

(AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers: Alex Kemp

Oct 30, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman (25) talks to side judge Alex Kemp (55) in the second half against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints won, 25-20. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

(AP Photo/Doug Murray)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions: Bill Vinovich

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills: Shawn Hochuli

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The NFL Has Announced 5 New Referees For 2024 Season

When the 2024 NFL season kicks off there will be five new officials on the field.

The NFL announced the additions of five new officials, including the son of a legendary official. Derek Anderson, the son of longtime official Walt Anderson, is joining the league this year.

Here are the five new hires:

• Derek Anderson - Line of Scrimmage
• Jeff Hutcheon - Line of Scrimmage
• Brian Perry - Line of Scrimmage
• Robert Richeson - Line of Scrimmage
• Karina Tovar - Downfield

Derek comes into the league just as his father is leaving. Earlier this week Football Zebras reported Walt stepped down from his role as the NFL senior vice president of officiating before his son was hired.

From Football Zebras :

The reason for the departure at this time seems to be related to the league’s pending hires of college officials. Multiple sources indicated that the officiating department’s top-ranked recruit last season was Big 12 referee Derek Anderson, Walt’s son. The announcement of the newly hired officials was delayed a day in 2023, and our sources state that was due to human resources disallowing Derek Anderson to report to his father and effectively removing him from the incoming class of officials.

Walt later revealed he'll be moving to a new position, confirming the report from Football Zebras.

“Our entire family is very proud of Derek’s outstanding career as a college football official. We are excited to see him have the opportunity to contribute as an official at the NFL level," he said in a statement .

"With Derek’s promotion, I expect to begin the process of transitioning to a new role as an NFL Rules Analyst & Club Communications Liaison, where I will focus on communicating with the clubs during the week and with our broadcast partners on gamedays."

"While I will no longer be making officiating decisions, together with a variety of stakeholders I will continue to look for new and better ways to promote excellence in officiating performance. I welcome this challenge and look forward to the opportunity to support the men and women who do such a tremendous job officiating our game at every level."

Congratulations to the new hires.

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Things to know about the NBA playoffs, which start Saturday

Boston Celtics guard JD Davison (20) drives toward the basket as Washington Wizards forward Anthony Gill, center left, defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 14, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts late in the second half of an NBA basketball play-in tournament game against the New Orleans Pelicans Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in New Orleans. The Lakers won 110-106. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra gestures during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis, Sunday, April 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, left, reacts after making a basket and drawing a foul by the Houston Rockets during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 31, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

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The Boston Celtics had almost no trouble at all with the 14 teams that didn’t make the playoffs this season, going 35-4 against those squads.

Against the teams that actually made the postseason, the Celtics were really good as well.

Taking into account only the 16 playoff teams — and their games against one another — the No. 1 overall seed Celtics come up No. 1 yet again. Boston went 29-14 against the eventual playoff teams this season, the best such record in the league.

Close behind: Oklahoma City (26-15), Minnesota (25-18) and Denver (23-17).

The rest of the league’s record against playoff opponents: Indiana (23-19), Milwaukee (24-20), the Los Angeles Lakers (23-20), Phoenix (20-20), the Los Angeles Clippers (20-22), New Orleans (19-22), Orlando and Philadelphia (both 18-23), Dallas (17-23), Cleveland (17-25), New York (17-26) and Miami (14-26).

Indiana (122.0 points per game) had the top offense against playoff teams, followed by Boston (117.9) and Milwaukee (117.5). The best defenses, in terms of points allowed per game, were Minnesota (107.9), Denver (109.6) and Miami (110.1).

Dallas’ Luka Doncic actually had more points per game against playoff teams than the non-playoff clubs. Doncic averaged 35.0 points against the teams that made the 16-team bracket, 32.9 points against the teams that didn’t get in.

LEBRON THINGS

The Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James will extend at least two league playoff records in every game he plays for the remainder of the season.

Nobody has played in more playoff games than James (282). And nobody has played in more wins (182) or more losses (100). By default, two of those three marks will grow with every game in which he appears.

Some of James’ other postseason ranks: first in points (8,023, ahead of No. 2 Michael Jordan by 2,063), fourth in rebounds (2,549, behind only Bill Russell’s 4,104, Wilt Chamberlain’s 3,913 and Tim Duncan’s 2,859), second in assists (2,023, behind only Magic Johnson’s 2,346), and third in 3-pointers made (behind only Golden State’s Stephen Curry’s 618 and Klay Thompson’s 501).

Including regular season, playoff, play-in tournament and the NBA Cup final (the league does not recognize play-in games and the Cup final as official games played), James has appeared in 1,778 NBA contests. That’s third-most in NBA history behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1,797) and Robert Parish (1,795). So, that’ll be another record James breaks — either with a deep playoff run this season, or early next season.

DOMINANT DENVER

Denver went 16-4 in the playoffs last season. Since the playoffs were expanded to a best-of-seven format in all four rounds 22 years ago, only two other teams have won a championship with that good of a record in the postseason.

Golden State went 16-1 on the way to the title in 2017. San Antonio went 16-4 in its run to the 2007 crown.

There are a few teams that should also be remembered for how dominant their postseason records were, even though the playoff format when they captured championships was slightly different. Among them: the 2001 Lakers (15-1); Philadelphia in 1983 (12-1); the 1999 Spurs, the 1991 Chicago Bulls and the 1989 Detroit Pistons (all 15-2); the 1971 Milwaukee Bucks and the 1982 Lakers (12-2); the 1950 Minneapolis Lakers (11-2); and the 1996 Bulls, 1987 Lakers and 1986 Celtics (all 15-3).

Make this make sense: There have been two instances in the last 20 years of a 47-35 season being good enough to earn a No. 2 seed for the playoffs.

New Orleans went 49-33 this season — and is seeded No. 8 in the Western Conference.

The only other teams to win at least 49 games and get an 8 seed in the last 20 years: Denver (50 wins) in 2009, Oklahoma City (50) in 2010 and Dallas (49) in 2014.

It hasn’t been uncommon for much-worse records to get much-higher seeds than what the Pelicans earned this season. In 2004, a 39-win season got New York the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. There have been a slew of instances in recent years where going 41-41 turned into a No. 6 seed for teams, and one where it turned into a No. 5 seed. In 2004, Miami went 42-40 -- and got a No. 4 seed. The Heat were a No. 3 seed in 2007 at 44-38, a year after Denver did the same.

PLAYOFF STREAKS

It’s hard to make the NBA playoffs. There are only five teams who have been part of the playoffs in each of the last five seasons (not including play-in tournament games, which technically aren’t part of the playoffs).

Boston is in the playoffs for the 10th consecutive year. Milwaukee is in for the eighth in a row, Philadelphia is in for the seventh straight year, Denver for the sixth and Miami has made it in each of the last five seasons.

Orlando, Indiana and Oklahoma City all snapped three-year absences by getting in this year. On the flip side: Charlotte missed for the eighth year in a row, while San Antonio and Detroit each missed out for the fifth straight year.

COACHING NOTES

With Miami assured of at least four more games this season, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is assured of climbing into seventh place on the NBA’s all-time playoff games coached list.

Spoelstra enters the playoffs with 184, one behind George Karl. If the Heat can upset Boston, Spoelstra would almost certainly pass No. 6 Larry Brown (193). But if the Celtics win the series, by any margin, four Boston coaches would benefit.

That’s right — four. Joe Mazzulla would obviously have won the series, and Spoelstra would be assured of falling behind former Celtics coaches Red Auerbach, Tom Heinsohn and K.C. Jones on the playoff winning percentage list.

The current difference between Spoelstra, Auerbach, Heinsohn and Jones on that list — a mere .005.

DIVISION CHAMPIONS

Starting with 2012, every team that made the NBA Finals — except one — did so after winning a division championship.

The exception: Golden State in 2022, when it beat Boston for the title.

If form holds, that means either Boston, Orlando or Milwaukee will win the East, and the West champion will be either Oklahoma City, Dallas or the Los Angeles Clippers.

REFEREE NOTES

Veteran referees Scott Foster and Marc Davis might hit some milestones this spring.

Foster enters these playoffs with 241 postseason games worked, nine away from 250. And Davis is 11 games shy of reaching the 200-game mark for his playoff career.

Of the 36 referees picked for Round 1, there are eight with more than 100 playoff assignments: Foster, Davis, Tony Brothers (187), James Capers (178), Zach Zarba (146), Bill Kennedy (139), Ed Malloy (136) and John Goble (125).

Playoff officials are selected through a combination of their Referee Operations grades and rankings, play-calling accuracy and team rankings. The evaluations continue in each round of the playoffs to determine which referees continue to advance.

WAITING FOR FINALS

The Los Angeles Clippers — in their 54th year as a franchise, going back to the early days in Buffalo and San Diego — have never been to the NBA Finals, the longest any current franchise has gone without making its first trip to the title series.

Paul George might feel like he’s been waiting that long as well.

There would likely be no one on the Clippers’ roster happier to get to the Finals than George. He’s played in 108 playoff games, the most among active players who have yet to get to the title round.

PLAYOFF POOL

The NBA’s postseason playoff pool has soared in the last two years. It rose nearly $10 million last year — and went up almost $7 million more this year.

This year’s pool total: $33,657,947. For comparison’s sake, last year’s pool was $26,969,000 and the 2022 pool was $17,317,334 — so it has nearly doubled in the last two years.

Every team is assured of at least $452,708 for making the playoffs. The payouts increase considerably as teams advance, and the teams with the best six records in each conference get more money as well.

Boston has already earned $2,035,482 from the pool -- $844,074 for having the NBA’s best record, $738,700 for being the No. 1 seed in the East and then the first-round money as well. If the Celtics win the title, their share of the pool would soar to $12,059,435, which would be far by the most in league history.

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Nottingham Forest's referee complaint explained: FA Cup opens investigation over post-game social media post

Forest's hopes of avoiding relegation took a hit on sunday, when they lost 2-0 to everton, and the team blamed the refs.

The FA opened an investigation into the refereeing during Nottingham Forest's 2-0 loss to Everton on Sunday, continuing a series of unprecedented events in the Premier League after Forest publicly complained about decisions that did not go their way during the loss.

Shortly after the final whistle blew at Goodison Park, Forest issued a statement on social media alleging that the referee missed three potential penalty calls that could have changed the outlook of the game. The club also allege that the video assistant referee assigned to the game is a fan of Luton Town and suggested a conflict of interest considering both Luton and Forest are fighting to avoid relegation. Forest currently sit in 17th while Luton are 18th, with the former only sitting outside of the relegation zone thanks to a superior goal difference.

It's extremely rare for Premier League clubs to demand such reviews of refereeing decisions, though Liverpool did so earlier this season when an extraordinary communication error  led to their goal being wrongly disallowed in a 2-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur. There is no indication at this time that something similar occurred on Sunday, leading many to argue that Forest's behavior -- and the FA's subsequent engagement with their complaint -- sets a bad precedent.

Here's a timeline of events as the latest saga around refereeing in the Premier League unfolds.

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Forest claim that a penalty should have been called against Everton's Ashley Young on three separate occasions: a challenge on Gio Reyna in the 24th minute, a handball committed by Young in the 44th minute, and a foul on Callum Hudson-Odoi in the 56th minute. The first incident Forest cite occurred when the game was still goalless, while the other two events happened after Everton's first goal.

The first statement

Within minutes of the game ending, Forest released the first of several statements about the incident. The club took aim at the assignment of Stuart Atwell as the VAR and said they raised concerns beforehand that went unheard by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), which oversees refereeing for professional soccer in England.

"Three extremely poor decisions - three penalties not given - which we simply cannot accept," the statement read . "We warned the PGMOL that the VAR is a Luton fan before the game but they didn't change him. Our patience has been tested multiple times.  NFFC will now consider its options."

For context, the PGMOL takes several factors into consideration when doling out match assignments, including "the referee's overall experience, their current form, how often they have refereed the clubs involved, which team the referee supports and any forthcoming international appointments," according to the Premier League's website .

Formal request submitted

On Monday, Forest officially submitted a formal request to the PGMOL to release the audio relating to the incidents they identified. The petition resembled Liverpool's from earlier this season despite the differing circumstances, with Forest arguing in favor of "full transparency" for the sake of the sport's integrity.

"Nottingham Forest has today submitted a formal request to the PGMOL to release into the public domain the audio recordings between officials during yesterday's match against Everton at Goodison Park," a statement issued on social media read in part. "We firmly advocate for the broader football community and supporters to have access to the audio and transcript for full transparency, ensuring the integrity of our sport is upheld."

Forest issued another statement about two hours later, seemingly in an attempt to defend the club's actions over the last day. They called for the PGMOL to update its consideration on conflicts based on the clubs referees support, since Forest and Luton are not traditionally rivals, and argued that their conduct following the loss at Everton "is not about individuals."

"This is not about individuals but rather how the integrity of the game is seen. We know match officials do not allow outside factors to influence their decision-making and that all referees are required to declare their 'allegiances' to PGMOL to avoid any perceived conflict or harm to the game's reputation for integrity," the statement read in part . "However, it is clear PGMOL must amend its rule on allegiances to account for contextual rivalries in the league table, not just local rivalries. This is currently not within the criteria but should be. Mere reliance on match officials to recuse themselves if contextual rivalries exist invites conjecture, as some have recused themselves where others have not."

The FA engages

After Forest announced its request to hear the audio, the FA shared that it has officially opened up an investigation into the matter.

"We have formally requested observations from Nottingham Forest, Nuno Espirito Santo, Neco Williams and Mark Clattenburg as a result of their comments following their Premier League match against Everton on Sunday 21 April," the FA wrote in a brief statement .

The FA is set to hear from Forest manager Espirito Santo and fullback Williams, as well as former Premier League official Clattenburg, who now works as a match and performance analyst for the club -- a rare role in a club setting. Clattenburg himself is under fire after criticizing Atwell in an article published by the Daily Mail on Monday that did not include a disclaimer about the referee's current employer.

The Premier League also chimed in on Monday, condemning Forest's series of statements while acknowledging the FA's investigation.

"The Premier League was extremely disappointed to read the comments made by Nottingham Forest on social media yesterday, following its match against Everton," the league said in a statement. "We note The FA has confirmed it will be investigating the club's statement. It is never appropriate to improperly question the integrity of match officials, and the nature of these comments means the Premier League will also be investigating the matter in relation to the League's Rules."

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NBA Referee Makes History With Playoffs Assignment 

Ashley Moyer-Gleich will become only the second woman in NBA history to referee a playoff game. She was one of chosen 36 referees announced last Thursday as its referee selections for the first round of the playoffs that started during the weekend.

“It’s surreal,” Moyer-Gleich said.

NBA Referee Makes History With Playoffs Assignment

Moyer-gleich’s background.

Moyer-Gleich joined Violet Palmer as the only woman picked by the NBA for a playoff assignment. Palmer worked nine playoff games between 2006 and 2012. Moyer-Gleich played Division II basketball at Millersville University in her home state of Pennsylvania. She was promoted to a full-time NBA official role in November 2018. She has officiated more than 200 season games in her six seasons. Notably she is one of three first-time playoff selections by the league this year.

“I worked four games as an alternate last year, so obviously, my goal was I wanted to be an alternate again because that’s just sustaining the growth that I’ve had in my career, And then to see my name on list of working floor officials . I mean, my mom was with me, she came with me on my last two games for a little trip, and to open that email and have her there with me and share that news.  It was really quite amazing.” Moyer-Gleich said.

The league trims the officiating roster down for each round, typically culminating with a 12-person list for the NBA Finals. Those referees receive white warm-up jackets for Finals games, something the league has made a tradition for years.

A Brief History

On October 31, 1997, the then 33-year-old Violet Palmer became the first woman to officiate an NBA game. Despite the watershed moment, there elicited little reaction from the crowd when she was announced before the tip-off of the Dallas Mavericks and Vancouver Grizzlies game.

“This is a dream come true, but it’s come about by a lot of hard work,” says Palmer. “This is a night we’ll all look back on in 25 years and say, ‘That opened the door,'” said the former NBA VP‚ Rod Thorn, who attended the historic game in Vancouver. “It’s only appropriate that we be here. I don’t know who’s more excited, Violet or me.”

Palmer had previously officiated WNBA and NBA Summer League games. Before her first NBA regular-season game, she was ready to take the helm of the challenge.

“I was the No. 3 referee in the world for women’s basketball. I had everything: The Final Four. Big TV games. All the limelight I wanted … But my personality is if you give me a challenge, I’m going to take it.” said Violet at the time.

The Full Officials List

The full list of first-round referees chosen by the NBA : Ray Acosta, Brent Barnaky, Curtis Blair, Tony Brothers, Nick Buchert, James Capers, Sean Corbin, Kevin Cutler, Marc Davis, JB DeRosa, Mitchell Ervin, Tyler Ford, Brian Forte, Scott Foster, Pat Fraher, Jacyn Goble, John Goble, David Guthrie, Bill Kennedy, Courtney Kirkland, Karl Lane, Mark Lindsay, Ed Malloy, Ashley Moyer-Gleich, Gediminas Petraitis, Kevin Scott, Aaron Smith, Ben Taylor, Dedric Taylor, Josh Tiven, Justin Van Duyne, James Williams, Sean Wright, Zach Zarba, Kogut, Orr and Moyer-Gleich.

“Congratulations to these 36 officials on the well-earned and prestigious honor of being selected to officiate in the NBA Playoffs, We appreciate the professionalism, dedication and teamwork that our officiating staff displays on a daily basis throughout the season.” NBA President of League Operations Byron Spruell said.

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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