Report: NFL sends officials back to college in bold shift
Following an NFL postseason full of controversial calls, the league has fired three officials and sent them to the college ranks in an unprecedented move.
The NFL has fired three officials ahead of the 2025 football season, but they’ve done so in an unprecedented way, relegating the three referees to college ranks.
Three officials demoted in rare NFL decision
The three NFL officials who were fired, or rather relegated, were second-year umpire James Carter, third-year line judge Robin DeLorenzo, and first-year down judge Robert Richeson. The three will now work in the Power 4 college conferences next season as part of the NFL’s offer.
wow, let’s hope this means better refs next year:
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) April 10, 2025
quietly this week, the NFL…
demoted a ref for the first time in 15 years!
fired 3 officials (umpire, down judge, line judge)
will we get more ref accountability & focus on their accuracy? 🤞 pic.twitter.com/MqaM7xLJYU
Why were the three NFL officials fired?
Though the NFL did not offer a public explanation for why they were fired, the officials’ limited playoff involvement and the league’s renewed focus on performance metrics hint at a results-oriented rationale behind the decision. Carter was an alternate official for the Wild Card round in 2024. DeLorenzo did not qualify to officiate a postseason game during her eligible seasons. And Richeson wasn’t eligible for the playoffs in his first year.
The NFL is putting more emphasis on data analysis to evaluate officials and decide whether to retain or advance them.
“The culture is changing, it’s changing rapidly,” one official told footballzebras.com. “It’s changing into a competitive environment where everybody’s equal. There are no favorites. There’s no favoritism. There’s none of that; it’s all about performance.”
What the NFL’s new move to relegate officials to college means for the future
Usually when an NFL official is dismissed, it’s much more discrete. Contracts are just quietly not renewed, and the officials can then pursue positions at colleges on their own if they like. There are no formal reassignments, and while the union offers a grievance process, successful appeals are rare.
In contrast, the NFL’s latest move marks the first time the league has actively negotiated an officials’ return to college football, hinting at a possible shift towards a structured relegation-and-redevelopment model.
It is uncertain whether or not the three officials will be allowed to enter the NFL’s redevelopment program to work their way back into the league, as this has never been done before.
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