Refs shouldn't be untouchable

Wildcat File Photo Arizona Daily Wildcat Arlie Rahn

Welcome to the world of professional officiating. These guys are almost like Supreme Court justices in that to leave you either die or retire. Never do you see refs get fired for doing a lousy job because they are evaluated by former officials.

Take a look at the NFL. In this current system, refs are never disciplined for incompetence because a panel of ex-refs don't think it would be fair.

And why would it? If a running back goes out and stinks up the field over three or four weeks, he will be either benched or outright released. If a coach loses more games than the team owner thinks he should, he usually gets fired. But if an official does an awful job and costs a team a win, he doesn't even get a slap on the wrist.

Still skeptical? Take a look at the San Francisco-Indianapolis game a few weeks ago. The Colts came out and attacked the favored 49ers in a hostile environment, jumping out to a 21-0 lead in the second quarter. But, with the help of two questionable (at best) pass-interference calls, San Francisco scored two touchdowns and went into the half down only 21-17. But the Colts didn't quit. They came out in the third period and scored 10 unanswered points to regain a comfortable 31-17 lead. But the officials had the 49ers back in it once again as another questionable pass-interference call let the 49ers score a key touchdown and win the game. The end result was two of the three pass-interference calls were clearly incorrect, with one nullifying a Colt interception.

And here's the kicker: the league issued a statement saying that the calls were indeed incorrect and apologized to the Colts. Yet, no disciplinary actions were taken toward the refs who made the bad calls. Those calls basically stole a win away from 1-7 Indianapolis. And in this age where winning is everything, that win might be the difference from Colts coach Jim Mora staying on another year or getting fired.

And this isn't the only time this kind of thing happens. Officials consistently botch calls in big games with little to no consequence. One officiating crew has already had two 22-plus penalty games, the San Francisco-Buffalo and Green Bay-Baltimore games. Considering an average game has 13 penalties, many of these calls have been looked on as unnecessary and even incorrect. One other instance saw refs give Green Bay an undeserved chance to win against Detroit on national TV. Now, I love my Packers, but there is no way they should have had that final play at midfield after they clearly recovered the on-side kick with no time remaining on the clock.

But this isn't the first year that has seen problems from the refs, it happens every year. So what should be done you may ask?

Here's what I propose:

First, actively recruit young, motivated people to enter the world of officiating. Then we might actually have 30-year-old refs instead of the Geritol gang we have out there right now. Also, pay these guys a little more, or give them some more benefits. In a league where a third-string quarterback makes $400,000, I don't see the problem with paying refs $80,000-$100,000 a season. Next, set up a system that punishes refs for making multiple mistakes. The league could set up a panel of former coaches, players and refs that reviews these guys and penalizes them if need be. After all, refs are professionals and should be graded accordingly.

This system might actually put a little fear into the refereeing community and actual cause these guys to keep their skills sharp. Of course, there are still some that don't want to change. After all, if the refs are indeed good, who would we gripe at when our team loses?

Arlie Rahn is a senior majoring in systems engineering and can be reached via e-mail at Arlie.Rahn@wildcat.arizona.edu.