Iowa State AD calls out Big 12 officials

[cooltigger21 0]

It must be bad when an AD, knowing he's going to get a fine or something along that line, stands up and publicly calls out officials. http://www.cbssports...ig-12-officials

[AUsince72 11,084]

Wonder if it was the same crew who called the AU-KSU game?

[AU-24 3,073]

I don't know if he is right or wrong, I didn't watch the game; but that is an AD with some spine!

[boisnumber1 2,818]

Props to him! This needs to happen more often, imo. It's ok for 18 year old kids playing football to get put through the wringer by the press, TV, internet etc, but somehow it is totally inappropriate to call out an 40 yr old officlal that is getting paid when his/their actions are suspect. I don't get it - this code of protecting them as if they are little league volunteers or something. They get paid to do a job. A player screws up, no one hesitates to say it. A ref does it and it's shhhh....dont mention it. I know you have to keep things under control, but imo refs need to be called out more than what happens. It would make them more accountable.

[FootballFanatic 4]

I know that CGM couldn't say anythig without looking bad but that Kansas State game was called so embarressingly biased that the Big 12 should have shame for their refs.

I still don't know why we don't have NCAA ref's in every conference. Instead of conference based refs. I still say there is a bias for top ranked teams with the refs to keep them top ranked. I have seen a lot of calls slip towards the higher ranked teams in years past. Once you get to mid season you end up with a lot of bias coming out of the refs. Just look at all the breaks Number 3 Alabama got at Ole Miss.

[GBAU83 212]

Refs do get called out - they are evaluated by the association for every game and are graded on how they performed. Several times, officials have been suspended for poor calling (bad call/miss call). And I do believe coaches can report specific instances and send tape to the officials association for review. It does not reverse the results of the game but is intended to improve overall quality of the officials.

I do not believe in the conspiracy theory that refs are told for a certain game of who needs to win, although there are times when one has to wonder (like the KSU game officiated by Big12 refs with no calls against KSU - the only one was offset by a petty defensive holding call on a AU DB).

[WarTim 3,456]

I know that CGM couldn't say anythig without looking bad but that Kansas State game was called so embarressingly biased that the Big 12 should have shame for their refs.

I still don't know why we don't have NCAA ref's in every conference. Instead of conference based refs. I still say there is a bias for top ranked teams with the refs to keep them top ranked. I have seen a lot of calls slip towards the higher ranked teams in years past. Once you get to mid season you end up with a lot of bias coming out of the refs. Just look at all the breaks Number 3 Alabama got at Ole Miss.

Everyone questions the no-call face mask but what about the INT to end the game? Ref quickly called ole miss Db out of bounds when he clearly had BOTH feet in. Typical uat game...

[cooltigger21 0]

Refs do get called out - they are evaluated by the association for every game and are graded on how they performed. Several times, officials have been suspended for poor calling (bad call/miss call). And I do believe coaches can report specific instances and send tape to the officials association for review. It does not reverse the results of the game but is intended to improve overall quality of the officials.

I do not believe in the conspiracy theory that refs are told for a certain game of who needs to win, although there are times when one has to wonder (like the KSU game officiated by Big12 refs with no calls against KSU - the only one was offset by a petty defensive holding call on a AU DB).

Well whatever they're doing it isn't helping. The quality of officiating is getting worse instead of better. One thing that would help is to get these guys with enough blubber around their waist to make a set of tires for an 18 wheeler in shape or out of the game altogether. Get some fitness standards. Add another man if need be but they are so often out of position to make the proper call.

[AU64 10,122]

Refs do get called out - they are evaluated by the association for every game and are graded on how they performed. Several times, officials have been suspended for poor calling (bad call/miss call). And I do believe coaches can report specific instances and send tape to the officials association for review. It does not reverse the results of the game but is intended to improve overall quality of the officials.

I do not believe in the conspiracy theory that refs are told for a certain game of who needs to win, although there are times when one has to wonder (like the KSU game officiated by Big12 refs with no calls against KSU - the only one was offset by a petty defensive holding call on a AU DB).

Well whatever they're doing it isn't helping. The quality of officiating is getting worse instead of better. One thing that would help is to get these guys with enough blubber around their waist to make a set of tires for an 18 wheeler in shape or out of the game altogether. Get some fitness standards. Add another man if need be but they are so often out of position to make the proper call.

Maybe it's guys out of shape and the speed of the game being much faster but the larger problem IMO is that now we have replays from every possible angle to review the details of every play...whereas the refs only have only a split second to make a decision from whatever position they are in ....sometimes blocked out by the players involved...or the violation takes place in a scrum of half a dozen 6'-6 300 pound linemen.

And...fans see things with their hearts and not just their eyes and I have to laugh when I see some comment here about it being "clear" that a guy held, or was in bounds, etc.....which means after he saw the play from six angles it did appear that the guy got one foot down or that the block was to the shoulder and not the head, etc. In fact, many of the fouls called or uncalled are open to interpretation and depend on the angle or position from which they are viewed by the officials.

I gripe about the officiating like most people but the idea that in the heat of a play with 1/2 second or less to make a decision some ref is going to decide to make a call (or not make a call) because he favors one team or the other is paranoid delusion IMO. Some refs are bad but most likely they are just not up to the job....and not trying to actually influence the outcome of a game. JMO

[FootballFanatic 4]

I have watched refs move the ball a yard up from where the player lands. No where was that player that far up. Happened to us against LSU one year that helped LSU get a winning field goal because of that spot.

[aucanucktiger 1,791]

IMO every person should be required to officiate a dozen sporting events in front of at least 1,000 opposing fans before they get to call out officials. Wish I had a dollar for every newby official I've worked beside who said "how hard can it be" only to basically go into a fetal position and quit sooner rather than later. Which is not to excuse sorry officiating. The criticism would be more informed and I guarantee, more infrequent.

[cooltigger21 0]

IMO every person should be required to officiate a dozen sporting events in front of at least 1,000 opposing fans before they get to call out officials. Wish I had a dollar for every newby official I've worked beside who said "how hard can it be" only to basically go into a fetal position and quit sooner rather than later. Which is not to excuse sorry officiating. The criticism would be more informed and I guarantee, more infrequent.

Nobody held a gun to their head and made them do it. They took it on voluntarily.

[AU64 10,122]

IMO every person should be required to officiate a dozen sporting events in front of at least 1,000 opposing fans before they get to call out officials. Wish I had a dollar for every newby official I've worked beside who said "how hard can it be" only to basically go into a fetal position and quit sooner rather than later. Which is not to excuse sorry officiating. The criticism would be more informed and I guarantee, more infrequent.

Nobody held a gun to their head and made them do it. They took it on voluntarily.

That's not his point....the point is that it's a hard gig and probably 99% of the refs are doing the best they can...and that it's easy to sit in front of a TV and watch a half dozen replays from all angles and then declare that the ref blew the call.

[cooltigger21 0]

IMO every person should be required to officiate a dozen sporting events in front of at least 1,000 opposing fans before they get to call out officials. Wish I had a dollar for every newby official I've worked beside who said "how hard can it be" only to basically go into a fetal position and quit sooner rather than later. Which is not to excuse sorry officiating. The criticism would be more informed and I guarantee, more infrequent.

Nobody held a gun to their head and made them do it. They took it on voluntarily.

That's not his point....the point is that it's a hard gig and probably 99% of the refs are doing the best they can...and that it's easy to sit in front of a TV and watch a half dozen replays from all angles and then declare that the ref blew the call.

and my point is that goes with the job. It always has been and always will be that way. If they want to do that then do it right. Have the commitment to be the best at it you can. I'm not asking for perfection but good grief some of these guys shouldn't be calling pee wee games.

[SumterAubie 3,031]

I made the mistake of coming out of the stands to umpire a LIttle League game my son was participating in. Never again. I missed one call at first base. Even being a complete layman volunteering to help, the coach the call went against made a comment as I walked off the field. The pressure was surprising. Even for such an insignificant event.

[cooltigger21 0]

I made the mistake of coming out of the stands to umpire a LIttle League game my son was participating in. Never again. I missed one call at first base. Even being a complete layman volunteering to help, the coach the call went against made a comment as I walked off the field. The pressure was surprising. Even for such an insignificant event.

now I agree it has gotten way out of hand doing it there. The people that do the youth sports are just people volunteering. I won't ever go at someone doing that. I shy away from criticism of high school officials as well.

[eibua12 81]

He was fined 25k

[WarTiger 3,901]

Props to him! This needs to happen more often, imo. It's ok for 18 year old kids playing football to get put through the wringer by the press, TV, internet etc, but somehow it is totally inappropriate to call out an 40 yr old officlal that is getting paid when his/their actions are suspect. I don't get it - this code of protecting them as if they are little league volunteers or something. They get paid to do a job. A player screws up, no one hesitates to say it. A ref does it and it's shhhh....dont mention it. I know you have to keep things under control, but imo refs need to be called out more than what happens. It would make them more accountable.

Have you ever officiated a game? If not, I encourage you to call your local tv, radio station or newspaper and find out who to contact to get involved in officiating. Whether you realize or or not, the officials are NEUTRAL. They aren't there for either team. They have a job to do. They don't see things the same way we as fans see them. They also only see the play ONCE. They don't have the benefit of seeing it from multiple angles and in slow motion. They have to see the whole play, decide what if anything is there and then react to throw a flag (or not throw it). What this AD did is a direct violation of the code of ethics he agreed to uphold. It's not up for debate and its not ever going to go away. Since I doubt you've ever officiated a game, let me clue you in on something. ALL OFFICIALS are constantly evaluated. They are critiqued after every game. We had a crew in the SEC that was suspended for a week because of some things that happened on the field (I believe it was last year or the year before). Whether you realize it or not the officials are ALWAYS held accountable. They are held accountable through the proper and ethical forms of communication. This is from the rule book.

Talking to Officials

When an official imposes a penalty or makes a decision, he simply is doing

his duty as he sees it. He is on the field to uphold the integrity of the game of

football, and his decisions are final and conclusive and should be accepted by

players and coaches.

The AFCA Code of Ethics states:

a. On- and off-the-record criticism of officials to players or to the public

shall be considered unethical.

b. For a coach to address, or permit anyone on his bench to address,

uncomplimentary remarks to any official during the progress of a game,

or to indulge in conduct that might incite players or spectators against

the officials, is a violation of the rules of the game and must likewise be

considered conduct unworthy of a member of the coaching profession.

I know that CGM couldn't say anythig without looking bad but that Kansas State game was called so embarressingly biased that the Big 12 should have shame for their refs.

I still don't know why we don't have NCAA ref's in every conference. Instead of conference based refs. I still say there is a bias for top ranked teams with the refs to keep them top ranked. I have seen a lot of calls slip towards the higher ranked teams in years past. Once you get to mid season you end up with a lot of bias coming out of the refs. Just look at all the breaks Number 3 Alabama got at Ole Miss.

Everyone questions the no-call face mask but what about the INT to end the game? Ref quickly called ole miss Db out of bounds when he clearly had BOTH feet in. Typical uat game...

Actually that's not true. One foot landed inbounds and the other foot landed out of bounds. When you understand the concepts of officiating its very easy to understand how and why he may not have seen the first foot land in bounds. The backjudge is the ONLY official that is responsible for the end line. He is looking at the end line to see if they player touches it in any way. Since he's watching the end line, its extremely easy to not see the first foot land in bounds. This is a textbook example of what replay was put in place to correct. The replay booth looked at it and CORRECTLY reversed the call. To assume they are cheating just because they don't see something is just being short sighted.

[WarTiger 3,901]

I made the mistake of coming out of the stands to umpire a LIttle League game my son was participating in. Never again. I missed one call at first base. Even being a complete layman volunteering to help, the coach the call went against made a comment as I walked off the field. The pressure was surprising. Even for such an insignificant event.

now I agree it has gotten way out of hand doing it there. The people that do the youth sports are just people volunteering. I won't ever go at someone doing that. I shy away from criticism of high school officials as well.

That's not always true. In fact, its rarely true, at least where I live. My football association handles all the youth league games as well. There's NO WAY we would get people to go out there for free to deal with the stuff we have to deal with. It just wouldn't happen. The youth league coaches are worse than any other level i've ever dealt with.

[cooltigger21 0]

I get that they are human and thus are not perfect. Making threats or verbal abuse is going over the line. They are not immune to criticism in public though. The AD said he had numerous times gone through the channels provided. He believed it required this step to get results.

[WarTim 3,456]

Props to him! This needs to happen more often, imo. It's ok for 18 year old kids playing football to get put through the wringer by the press, TV, internet etc, but somehow it is totally inappropriate to call out an 40 yr old officlal that is getting paid when his/their actions are suspect. I don't get it - this code of protecting them as if they are little league volunteers or something. They get paid to do a job. A player screws up, no one hesitates to say it. A ref does it and it's shhhh....dont mention it. I know you have to keep things under control, but imo refs need to be called out more than what happens. It would make them more accountable.

Have you ever officiated a game? If not, I encourage you to call your local tv, radio station or newspaper and find out who to contact to get involved in officiating. Whether you realize or or not, the officials are NEUTRAL. They aren't there for either team. They have a job to do. They don't see things the same way we as fans see them. They also only see the play ONCE. They don't have the benefit of seeing it from multiple angles and in slow motion. They have to see the whole play, decide what if anything is there and then react to throw a flag (or not throw it). What this AD did is a direct violation of the code of ethics he agreed to uphold. It's not up for debate and its not ever going to go away. Since I doubt you've ever officiated a game, let me clue you in on something. ALL OFFICIALS are constantly evaluated. They are critiqued after every game. We had a crew in the SEC that was suspended for a week because of some things that happened on the field (I believe it was last year or the year before). Whether you realize it or not the officials are ALWAYS held accountable. They are held accountable through the proper and ethical forms of communication. This is from the rule book.

Talking to Officials

When an official imposes a penalty or makes a decision, he simply is doing

his duty as he sees it. He is on the field to uphold the integrity of the game of

football, and his decisions are final and conclusive and should be accepted by

players and coaches.

The AFCA Code of Ethics states:

a. On- and off-the-record criticism of officials to players or to the public

shall be considered unethical.

b. For a coach to address, or permit anyone on his bench to address,

uncomplimentary remarks to any official during the progress of a game,

or to indulge in conduct that might incite players or spectators against

the officials, is a violation of the rules of the game and must likewise be

considered conduct unworthy of a member of the coaching profession.

I know that CGM couldn't say anythig without looking bad but that Kansas State game was called so embarressingly biased that the Big 12 should have shame for their refs.

I still don't know why we don't have NCAA ref's in every conference. Instead of conference based refs. I still say there is a bias for top ranked teams with the refs to keep them top ranked. I have seen a lot of calls slip towards the higher ranked teams in years past. Once you get to mid season you end up with a lot of bias coming out of the refs. Just look at all the breaks Number 3 Alabama got at Ole Miss.

Everyone questions the no-call face mask but what about the INT to end the game? Ref quickly called ole miss Db out of bounds when he clearly had BOTH feet in. Typical uat game...

Actually that's not true. One foot landed inbounds and the other foot landed out of bounds. When you understand the concepts of officiating its very easy to understand how and why he may not have seen the first foot land in bounds. The backjudge is the ONLY official that is responsible for the end line. He is looking at the end line to see if they player touches it in any way. Since he's watching the end line, its extremely easy to not see the first foot land in bounds. This is a textbook example of what replay was put in place to correct. The replay booth looked at it and CORRECTLY reversed the call. To assume they are cheating just because they don't see something is just being short sighted.

Wow. Now I am wrong AND short sighted. I have officiated. No, it is not easy. Mostly a thankless job. But, having watched uat linemen holding on virtually every play for MANY years and every uat pass pattern involves an illegal pick , it makes one ponder the possibilities .....just MY humble opinion...

[alexava 6,973]

i agree with tim. i think most officials are trying. i umped baseball and now i coach it. i dont mind a missed or bad call, it happens. what i cant tolerate is the ump not knowing the game. worst than that is the very young kids that ump our league get intimidated by more vocal a**hole coaches then start calling his way. if forces me to sink to his level just to get a fair shake.

[eibua12 81]

I made the mistake of coming out of the stands to umpire a LIttle League game my son was participating in. Never again. I missed one call at first base. Even being a complete layman volunteering to help, the coach the call went against made a comment as I walked off the field. The pressure was surprising. Even for such an insignificant event.

now I agree it has gotten way out of hand doing it there. The people that do the youth sports are just people volunteering. I won't ever go at someone doing that. I shy away from criticism of high school officials as well.

That's not always true. In fact, its rarely true, at least where I live. My football association handles all the youth league games as well. There's NO WAY we would get people to go out there for free to deal with the stuff we have to deal with. It just wouldn't happen. The youth league coaches are worse than any other level i've ever dealt with.

We have paid ASA umps from our Girls Softball League all the way down to 8u. The league is also really good about keeping parents in check as well and we the coaches keep ourselves in check because we are trying to build a culture of sportsmanship and enjoyment. Oh and Girls and Girl Parents are just as competitive as Boys. I know there is more aggression with football but there are stupid people at all levels I am proud of our league they do a great job and our parents have been great as well. Don't get me wrong I have questioned an ump or two said my peace in a conference and moved on but at the end of the day we had fun. We all need a life outside of sports just saying

[AUloggerhead 2,229]

Back to the OP. The net result of the ISU AD's decision to criticize Big 12 officials in public is a big fat $25,000 fine. Not exactly the best resume enhancement move for him but hey, perhaps he likes it at ISU. (He'd better.) Didn't see the game or the ref decisions but when you lose by 17 points any complaining about the refs in a post-game presser just makes you look like a cry baby - despite claiming your doing it "for the players." To quote the former CU HC: "This is Div-1 football! This isn't intramurals!" Geez, grow a pair.

[cooltigger21 0]

Back to the OP. The net result of the ISU AD's decision to criticize Big 12 officials in public is a big fat $25,000 fine. Not exactly the best resume enhancement move for him but hey, perhaps he likes it at ISU. (He'd better.) Didn't see the game or the ref decisions but when you lose by 17 points any complaining about the refs in a post-game presser just makes you look like a cry baby - despite claiming your doing it "for the players." To quote the former CU HC: "This is Div-1 football! This isn't intramurals!" Geez, grow a pair.

He had already gone through the normal procedure before and evidently there had been no improvement. You saw how pitiful the crew that worked the KSU game was so maybe that was the only way to get action.