A Hard Knock Life?

Ever since the 2001 lockout of the officials, when Ed Hochuli first suggested it, there has been talk of making the NFL officials full-time league employees. Supporters of full-time status argue that officials that part-time status discourages officials from striving for the NFL [1], that full-time officials will ensure consistency [2], or that full-time officials will have more time to devote to the league [1]. All of these reasons are ridiculous.

Any official who decides not to work for the NFL because of the part-time status of the officials is not someone the league should want. NFL officials as part-time contractors make more in a season than most people make at their full-time jobs in an entire year; those men who would turn down the NFL just because they would not be full-time have misguided priorities.

I will be the first to admit that there is a lot of work in officiating at every level. New officials devote time to learning the craft, memorizing and interpreting the rule book, and going to meetings to be taught by more experienced officials all in the hopes of not only calling a good game but also of moving up the ranks. More experienced officials in higher leagues spend their time studying, meeting, and working for the same reasons. It is this work that ensures consistency.

Sacrifices are made, whether it is giving up vacation time to travel to games, scrimmages, and conference clinics or spending hours outside of work studying film or the rulebook or, as in my case, missing out on a child's sports career because they play a fall sport. But officials make these sacrifices because they love the game. Most officials I know would not consider officiating a job but a way to be involved in something they are passionate about. For that reason alone, I find the push by the current NFL officials to be made full-time a bit misguided.

However, I find it to hypocritical when taking something else into consideration.

Here is a rundown of NFL officials who currently serve in non-NFL football roles, too [3]:

• Walt Anderson (R) is the supervisor of officials for the Big 12 and CFO West, which controls the Mountain West and Southland conferences
• Byron Boston (LJ) is the supervisor of officials for the Southland Conference
• Gary Cavaletto (FJ) is the assistant supervisor for side judges for the Pac-12
• Carl Cheffers (R) is the assistant supervisor for referees for the Pac-12
• Tony Corrente (R) is the supervisor of officials for the Pac-12
• Garth DeFelice (U) is the assistant supervisor for umpires for the Pac-12
• Terry McAulay (R) is the coordinator of football officials for the Big East
• John Hussey (LJ) is the assistant supervisor for line judges for the Pac-12
• Rob Vernatchi (BJ) is the assistant supervisor for field judges for the Pac-12

If the NFL officials are so busy with NFL-related work that they are lobbying to become full-time league officials, how are these officials finding the time to also run college officiating (which includes, among other things, watching college film and grading officials, traveling to college games to observe officials, organizing and attending conference clinics, and serving as a liaison to the entire collegiate football officiating community)?

I leave you with a line from an email sent by one of the NCAA Division 1 supervisors to their football officials in reference to the NFL officials' lockout: "To say it bluntly, our universities expect us to be focused on [the conference's] football." I would imagine that the NFL owners would expect their officials to be focused on NFL football?

Sources
[1] "Full-time officials? Yes, please": http://espn.go.com/espn/commentary/story/_/id/7475204/full-time-nfl-officials-yes-please
[2] "League will consider hiring some full-time officials next season": http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/15/league-will-consider-hiring-some-full-time-officials-next-season/
*Note: All information on the current NCAA supervisors, who are also in the NFL, is from current officials and my personal knowledge and the email line was forwarded to me by current officials