NJSIAA Bans Ref From Postseason Games After Viral Video
A viral post on social media regarding a questionable spot during a first-down measurement in a New Jersey high school football game has gained national attention.The video shows a referee deliberately moving the ball well after it was spotted. The move gave a new set of downs to the offense on a crucial fourth-down play in the fourth quarter.
Kevin Minnick, a high school sports reporter for NJ.com, shared the game recording on his Twitter account, and then gained viral support after the Sports Illustrated Twitter account re-posted Minnick’s video.The video got the attention of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA), which reviewed the footage and issued the following statement.
“NJSIAA has reviewed the video of the Vineland versus Eastern state playoff football game and, in agreement with the New Jersey Football Officials Association, has determined that the entire officiating crew — pending a hearing next week with the South Chapter of the New Jersey Football Officials Association — will not be assigned future post-season games.”
See the video for yourself below.
Thoughts on this measurement? 🧐
(via @kminnicksports)pic.twitter.com/j4FhRX14XA
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) October 29, 2022
The incident took place during the fourth quarter of the South Group 5 NJSIAA Regional Invitational Tournament last Thursday night.
Fortunately, this call ultimately didn’t affect the outcome of the game. Eastern, the team that benefitted from this referee action, lost to Vineland with a 20-19 final score.