The NFL world needed multiple days to recover from Friday’s nationwide ground stop by the Federal Aviation Administration. The league adjusted its referee assignments, ordering many officials to work games within driving distance of their homes, while one crew will work multiple games on Sunday.
Referee Don Willard, umpire Terry Killens, field judge Jabir Walker and side judge Justin Larrew are pulling double duty. Their day begins with a matchup between the Colts and Dolphins in Indianapolis at 1 p.m. They’ll then travel to Cincinnati to officiate a “Sunday Night Football” game featuring the Bengals and Steelers at 8:20 p.m.
Indianapolis’s Lucas Oil Stadium is located about 110 miles from Cincinnati’s Paycor Stadium. The officials will likely have approximately four hours between the final whistle for Colts-Dolphins and the opening kickoff for Bengals-Steelers.
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“Each of the league’s 17 officiating crews have a backup referee identified, and that individual trains throughout the year to work at the referee position should the need arise,” the NFL said in a statement.
On Sunday, President Trump blamed the FAA issues on the Biden Administration. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy noted that the delays should be resolved by Sunday evening.
Lingering issues caused many NFL fans and reporters to abruptly adjust travel plans for the Week 10 games.
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