The NFL has fired official Hugo Cruz, who missed a big call in this year’s Chargers-Browns game and reportedly had several other missed calls this season. Unsurprisingly, the union representing officials is not happy about that.
The NFL Referees Association released a statement ripping the league for terminating Cruz.
“The NFL has a troubling history of knee-jerk reactions with an eye on public relations, and clearly it has not learned from past mistakes,” the statement said. “The NFLRA will protect the collectively bargained rights of all officials and will challenge this reckless decision through the Grievance process.”
If Cruz had been fired simply for missing one call, the criticism of the league as making “knee-jerk reactions” would be understandable. But Cruz was reportedly already on thin ice for other missed calls before the missed false start that should have negated a Chargers touchdown. Eventually, enough missed calls should result in an official losing his job. Players and coaches lose their jobs if they screw up too many times, and officials should as well.
