What 'Groundbreaking' Official Suspension Means for Auburn Tigers

Just days after the recent suspension of longtime SEC official Ken Williamson, the college football world is virtually in shock at the rare action of accountability performed by the league earlier this week.

Williamson was the lead official for the extremely controversial Auburn vs. Georgia game on Oct. 11, which Yellowhammer News reports had 11 complaints submitted following the matchup. Nine of the 11 complaints were validated by conference officials, ultimately resulting in Williamson’s departure.

ESPN national college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit joined The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday, discussing the magnitude of this suspension and its potential effect on sports.

“I hate blaming referees or umpires for a game, but with that being said, I do think that if a guy consistently has rough outings where a league or conference has to call a coach or call an athletic director and basically apologize for a miss… and that happens at a regular rate. I think this is groundbreaking,” Herbstreit said.

“Can you guys remember anything like this where a guy in the middle of a season is asked to take a seat? I’ve never heard of anything like that,” Herbstreit continued. “You talk about holding players and coaches and everybody accountable, referees have always never really had to deal with that. Maybe in the offseason, but not in-season.”

Herbsreit highlights the rarity of an official being “permanently suspended,” according to Yellowhammer News, and he expects it to have an impact on the landscape of not just college football, but all sports, moving forward.

“I’m a referee guy, I’m pro-referee, I think fans get way too emotional about it. But I’m interested to see what this leads to. This is kind of like that first example, and now you start to see it more and more – not just in college football, but all around sports,” Herbstreit said.

This could have somewhat of an impact on the Auburn Tigers, as they are currently riding a four-game losing streak and have started conference play 0-4 for the third consecutive year. Auburn has consistently underperformed over the course of the past month, leaving head coach Hugh Freeze’s seat hotter than ever.

The Tigers have lost by one score or less in three of their last four games, with the only exception coming in their 20-10 loss to Georgia. Most fans wish Freeze had been fired after Auburn dropped its last game to Missouri in double overtime last weekend, but obviously, athletic director John Cohen and boosters must still hold some belief in the third-year head coach.

Well, if Cohen and company need to defend their decision to retain Freeze, they could very well fall back on this news and point to the officiating as one of the reasons that Auburn has struggled to win games. 

To be clear, the officiating wasn’t the main issue or the sole reason why the Tigers lost to Georgia, as they totaled a pitiful 40 yards of offense in the second half. Poor play-calling, a pathetic lack of production in the second half, and inconsistent quarterback play from Jackson Arnold have all undoubtedly plagued Auburn in recent weeks.

However, there is a world where Cohen and Freeze could blame officiating for a couple of Auburn’s losses, which, even if frustrating, it’s hard to dispute the argument when the SEC essentially fired one of its most tenured referees as a result.

The same argument could be made about Auburn’s loss at Oklahoma, where the Sooners ran an illegal play involving an unfair deception tactic that resulted in a touchdown. The league released a statement later that night stating that it should’ve been a penalty and no touchdown.

Again, it’s not why Auburn lost the game, but certainly something that Auburn’s higher-ups could utilize as a reason to keep Freeze.

All in all, despite the Tigers’ disappointing 3-4 record, Freeze’s leash may have been slightly extended with the Williamson suspension news. There’s no doubt Freeze needs to beat Arkansas on Saturday to feel confident he will keep his job one more week, but the surprising display of accountability by the SEC can only help him in the long run.