FAA Ground Stop Reshuffles NFL Referee Assignments

The FAA’s four-hour ground stop on November 13 disrupted travel plans across the country, including those of NFL officials preparing for Week 10. Although the league has no Saturday games, flight problems led it to revise assignments for four matchups: the Panthers against the Saints, Jacksonville versus Tennessee, Miami facing Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh taking on Cincinnati.

Three backup officials will cover the four games. Don Willard is set to work as referee for both Sunday’s daytime contest at Indianapolis and the evening matchup in Cincinnati. The NFL said it moved officials to games they could reach by car from their hometowns. Each of the league’s 17 crews has a backup referee who trains for the role.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said a communications problem involving older air traffic control technology contributed to the stoppage. He said routers and switches became overwhelmed and began supplying inconsistent information, leading officials to halt the system. FlightAware counted 9,165 cancellations on routes connecting with, entering, or departing from the United States.

The stoppage also forced college football teams to revise travel plans. Auburn and Purdue were among those that took buses to their games. Ole Miss’ game against Oklahoma was moved to Sunday afternoon after the Rebels encountered difficulties arranging alternate travel, placing it during the NFL schedule.