The union representing NFL officials is looking for a new leader.
As first reported by FootballZebras.com, former on-field official Jim Quirk is out as the executive director of the NFL Referees Association. PFT has confirmed that Quirk will not continue in the position.
Several reasons have been identified for the move. Ben Austro of FootballZebras.com explains that Quirk did not have a “hard edge” in dealing with the league. Austro also makes a point that repeatedly has come up regarding Quirk: His son works as a back judge in the NFL, and some perceive that Quirk hasn’t been aggressive as he could be or should be because he doesn’t want the NFL to retaliate against his son.
As one source told PFT, Quirk’s public comments in the aftermath of the Panthers-Giants game regarding the manner in which referee Terry McAulay’s crew handled the situation contributed to the move. McAulay quit the union in the aftermath of Quirk’s statement that the officials “should have been a lot more judicious in their attempts to get things under control.” Quirk also said, “I wish it had been handled different.”
The union’s business will now be handled differently moving forward, with someone else taking over the role of guiding the union.
UPDATE 12:27 p.m. ET 4/9/16: The NFLRA disputes the report that Quirk is leaving the position of executive director.