The National Football League’s referees will be making every effort to minimize the risks to their health, when they return to the field.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the league’s in-game officials will be wearing masks during the games.
Age (average is 53) and/or medical history puts some officials in higher-risk categories. And they're in close contact with players/coaches. Testing is a huge issue, Green said; officials want it twice a week (once in home city, once in game city). Opt-out also being negotiated. https://t.co/FFt8CWOb8f
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 10, 2020
As Pelissero reports, another interesting twist is the consideration of electronic handheld whistles. Something that should create quite an amusing image as officials try to break-up fights or prevent players from running to the end zone, by pointing handheld devices and frantically mashing buttons.
If a large number of referees do decide to opt-out of this season, that could prompt a return of the infamous replacement referees that the league called upon in 2012. And, as I’m sure most of us remember, that didn’t turn out so well.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn
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