NFL referee Bill Vinovich. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

NFL gives Bill Vinovich the nod for Super Bowl despite terribly officiated season

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated 1/23/24

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:

Watch how long Jermaine Johnson (11) gets held on this play with no call #KCvsNYJ
pic.twitter.com/IB5FniTFh0
— Bad Sports Refs (@BadSportsRefs) October 2, 2023

And this:

Amari Cooper was ruled out of bounds on this play…
pic.twitter.com/gU9VEUqBJY
— PFF (@PFF) September 24, 2023

And this:

Controversial finish to the Steelers-Rams game.

Pittsburgh goes for it on fourth-and-short. Kenny Pickett looks to be short on a QB sneak, but the officials give him the first down.

The Rams didn't have a time-out and could not challenge. So the spot stood, ending the game. pic.twitter.com/bkhKPjsIpe
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) October 22, 2023

Or how about this:

"It's a two-point try for the game. There's no reason to rush. Slow it down, make sure who's eligible and who isn't."

NFL Rules Analyst @DeanBlandino and @PSchrags explain what happened during the two-point conversion in the Lions-Cowboys game ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/jWOvbNDLWL
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 31, 2023

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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