Gene Steratore is hanging up his whistle, done with NFL after 15 years
Looks like NFL fans might need to buckle up for a rough season of bad calls.
The league’s officiating staff has taken a serious hit this offseason, with the latest departure coming Friday — and it’s one of the good ones.
Fifteen-year veteran Gene Steratore, 55, is hanging up his striped shirt, NFL senior vice president of officiating Al Riveron announced Friday.
Gene Steratore, 15-year veteran official, informed me today that he is retiring from the @NFL. Steratore entered the league in 2003, was promoted to referee in 2006, & worked 12 playoff games, ending his career at Super Bowl LII. We wish Gene all the best! pic.twitter.com/MO7Ul8fik9
— NFL Officiating (@NFLOfficiating) June 22, 2018
Steratore joins Ed Hochuli, Jeff Triplette and Terry McAulay as veteran officials who aren’t returning for the 2018 season.
Hochuli had been with the league for 28 years, Triplette for 22 and McAulay for 20.
Also an NCAA basketball referee, Steratore kept a relatively low profile and was well-respected around the league. A 2012 ranking of officials by Bleacher Report’s Scott Carasik put Steratore at No. 1.
“Slowly and quietly, Gene Steratore has worked his way up to becoming not just a great NFL referee but the absolute best in the business. … He’s known for making great explanations on the field of each and every call. He also will step back and explain a play even if there wasn’t a flag or a challenge flag on it just to make sure that there is no controversy,” Carasik wrote.
Steratore is going out on top: His last game was the Patriots vs. the Eagles in Super Bowl LII.
Cameron Filipe of Football Zebras reported Steratore will become a rules analyst for CBS Sports.
The last time there was this type of officials turnover was before the 2012 season, when the league went to replacement officials and had horrendous results.
The lowlight came in the form of the “Fail Mary” game between Seattle and Green Bay.
A backup official ruled that a last-second heave by Russell Wilson was a “shared possession” and a game-winning touchdown for the Seahawks.
Replays indicated the call was incorrect, and that blown call pushed the league to welcome back its normal officials.
With four big names stepping down in one offseason, the question now will be, are we due for a repeat?
Given football fans’ general displeasure with the way games are called, this could be a long season.
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