The whole nationwide ground stop situation is wild, right? Well, it’s not just messing with holiday travel. It’s totally flipping the script for Week 10 NFL officiating assignments, and get this: one official is about to make history by working *two* games today.
Air Travel Chaos Rewrites the Rulebook
The NFL announced it: the air travel impact means they’re reassigning officials. It’s all about getting these guys to games within driving distance of home, forcing the entire Week 10 schedule into a major shake-up. This isn’t a small deal, either. Three backup referees are getting called up to the main spot. We’ve got umpires Barry Anderson and Duane Heydt, and side judge Don Willard, all stepping into the head referee role. Apparently, every single one of the league’s 17 officiating crews has a backup ready for this, training all year just in case. Who knew?
Don Willard’s Double-Duty Marathon
But the real kicker is Don Willard. The guy is pulling double duty in what’s probably an unprecedented move for an NFL referee. He’s set to officiate the Dolphins-Colts game at 1:00 p.m. ET. Then, after that’s done, he’s hopping in the car for a 109-mile drive from Indianapolis straight to Cincinnati for the Sunday night game between Pittsburgh and the Bengals! That’s insane. What makes it even crazier? Willard’s regular crew, the one led by referee Scott Novak, wasn’t even scheduled to work this weekend. Talk about getting thrown into the fire! For the record, Shawn Smith was supposed to be the referee for Panthers-Saints, Alex Moore for Jaguars-Titans, Carl Cheffers for Dolphins-Colts, and Clete Blakeman for Steelers-Bengals.
So yeah, this whole situation is nuts, and the league’s statement doesn’t even tell us where those original referees are going or what their roles will be. It also leaves us hanging on what other shifts happened to the established crews. You gotta wonder how this is all gonna play out today, especially for Willard. What a wild ride for Week 10!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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