NFL gives Bill Vinovich the nod for Super Bowl despite terribly officiated season
Complaints about officiating are nothing new for the NFL or any of the major sports leagues, but the 2023 season seemingly brought out a brand of refereeing that was the worst the league has seen since the "replacement referee" fiasco of 2012.
That 2012 NFL referee lockout led to the infamous "Fail Mary." There was no such lockout in 2023 — these were, unfortunately, the real deal refs — but we were still cursed with newsworthy referee blunders.
There was this:
And this:
And this:
Or how about this:
Yeah, it wasn't a great season for NFL officiating, and now the NFL wants Bill Vinovich to be the lead referee for Super Bowl LVIII.
The same Bill Vinovich who saw nothing wrong with this play?
It's one thing to tout Vinovich's experience because he does have it. This will be his third time as lead referee in a Super Bowl and second in the past five seasons.
After a season that was so sloppy from an officiating standpoint, though, is the referee perhaps known best for being in charge of the crew that no-called the Saints the best choice?
The NFL sees no problem with it — kind of like that non-pass interference call.
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