SB Nation Seattle - Pac-12 Fires 11 Football Officials As Overhaul Beginshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48997/seattle-fave.png2011-03-02T18:46:29-08:00http://seattle.sbnation.com/rss/stream/17527202011-03-02T18:46:29-08:002011-03-02T18:46:29-08:00Pac-12 Fires 11 Football Officials As Overhaul Under Mike Pereira's Guidance Begins
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<p>The Pac-12 began the overhaul of its football officiating on Wednesday as 11 officials were fired ahead of the 2011 season. Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott set about to change the culture and public perception of the conference's football officiating just about a month ago, <a target="_blank" href="http://seattle.sbnation.com/washington-huskies/2011/2/11/1988679/mike-pereira-hired-pac-12-officials-larry-scott">hiring Mike Pereira to lead a much-maligned crew</a> that's caught its fair-share of heat for questionable calls on the field. Thursday's move, firing 11 officials and hiring 16 new ones, gives the Pac-12 crew a fresh-look in hopes of improving the product on the field.</p>
<p>The changes were <a target="_blank" href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/huskies/2014380815_officials03.html">reported by The Seattle Times' Bob Condotta</a>, The additional officials will be needed this season as the Pac-10 becomes the Pac-12, adding Colorado and Utah.</p>
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<p>"We felt like these 16 were better than the 11 that did not have their contracts renewed," Pereira said.</p>
<p>Adding 16 officials will give the new Pac-12 a total of 49, or seven seven-man crews, Pereira said. An additional crew was needed with the conference expanding from 10 to 12 teams for 2011, adding Utah and Colorado.</p>
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<p>It's the biggest turnover from a year-to-year basis the conference has seen in a long time, if ever. The overall goal is to change the culture, with the mass-firing serving as a quick way to shake-up the officiating crews and give the conference fresh pairs of eyes.</p>
<p>In addition to the staffing changes, Pereira will also hire seven supervisors to oversee each position on the field, giving the conference an added layer of evaluation. The supervisors will be made up of NFL officials, giving Pereira and the conference increased credibility while holding the officials more accountable than they have been in the past.</p>
<p>For more the latest, check out the rest of our <a target="_blank" href="http://seattle.sbnation.com/washington-huskies/2011/2/11/1988679/mike-pereira-hired-pac-12-officials-larry-scott">Pac-12 officiating</a> StoryStream.</p>
https://seattle.sbnation.com/washington-huskies/2011/3/2/2026459/pac-12-fires-football-officials-mike-pereira-larry-scottBrian Floyd2011-02-11T11:36:55-08:002011-02-11T11:36:55-08:00Mike Pereira Hired As Pac-12 Coordinator Of Football Officiating
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<p>Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott is looking for a fresh start with his newly expanded conference. From a new TV contract, set to be negotiated this year, to fresh faces in Utah and Colorado, the Pac-12 is in the midst of some serious changes. On Friday, Scott addressed one of the other major gripes about the conference he oversees by <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/huskyfootballblog/2014195134_pac-10_announces_changes_to_fo.html" target="_blank">hiring former Vice President of NFL Officiating Mike Pereira to lead the conference's football officiating</a>.</p>
<p>If you follow the Pac-12, you know that football officiating has been a serious point of contention recently. It goes beyond the normal scope of complaints about officials, with the perception of the Pac-12's overall officiating at an all-time low. Calls are missed, games are changed and officials have played far too big a role in the outcome for many fans' liking.</p>
<p>With Pereira, the Pac-12 gains immediate credibility. He's spent the last year on FOX, popping in during games to explain calls, make judgments on the job officials are doing and point out both the good and bad calls throughout games. Now, he'll take that voice and those demands for accountability to the Pac-12, where he's charged with changing the perceptions of the conference's officiating, while also fixing a broken system.</p>
<p>It's going to take time, but Pereira is a start -- and a good one at that. Once again, Scott is taking the necessary steps to improve the Pac-12 as a whole. From expansion to revenue to officiating, his fingerprints are all over the conference, and the moves he's made have been a positive overall. </p>
https://seattle.sbnation.com/2011/2/11/2329623/mike-pereira-hired-as-pac-12-coordinator-of-football-officiatingBrian Floyd