Report: NFL Coming Around to Idea of XFL “Sky Judge”

According to a report from John Kryk of the Toronto Sun, the NFL Competition Committee is having a renaissance of thought around the idea of a “sky judge” to help correct and reaffirm decisions made by on-field officials.

Kryk reported that the NFL Competition Committee now “endorses the sky-judge concept, after opposing it for years.” In the past, the NFL and head of officiating Al Riveron have backed the on-field referees and stood by their calls no matter the situation.

Riveron took over the position from Dean Blandino, who was the head of officiating for the XFL this past year. Blandino has transitioned to the use of a sky judge in the XFL, which received lots of positive reaction from the football community.

Blandino was also an officiating consultant with the Alliance of American Football which used a similar sky judge system to help keep officiating in check.

“The competition committee had an abbreviated conference call-obviously, with what’s going on they can’t meet in person as they normally would-but they had a call last week some time, and they went through all the rules proposals. And there is support for [the sky-judge].”

Dean Blandino to John Kryk of the Toronto Sun

As of now, no official vote or decision has been made by the NFL or the Competition Committee to adopt or implement any of the XFL’s innovative rules. Stay tuned to XFL News Hub for the latest in offseason news.