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In response to the FAA's nationwide ground stop on Friday, the NFL has modified its officiating assignments for Week 10 domestic games, opting to assign officials to contests within driving distance of their residences. The move aims to prevent further travel disruptions.
Airlines across the United States labored on Saturday to recover from the longest nationwide ground stop in 25 years, which resulted in over 2,000 canceled flights, created worldwide ripple effects, left passengers stranded, and compelled professional and college sports teams to seek alternative transportation.
As a result of the NFL's adjustments, three backup referees—umpires Barry Anderson and Duane Heydt, along with side judge Don Willard—will step into referee roles on Sunday. Heydt will officiate the Carolina-New Orleans matchup, while Anderson will take charge of the Jacksonville at Tennessee game.
Willard will handle double duty on Sunday. He is set to work the Miami-Indianapolis game at 1 p.m. ET and then travel approximately 110 miles to officiate the Pittsburgh-Cincinnati game, which kicks off at 8:20 p.m. ET.
The NFL noted that each of its 17 officiating crews has a designated backup referee who trains year-round to be ready for the referee position if needed.
The nationwide ground stop, blamed on new technology being integrated into the air traffic control system that caused intermittent communications and radar gaps, was the second such event since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Originally reported by players_bio.