STATIONS
  • All Music Stations
  • All News & Talk Stations
  • All Sports Stations
 
  • Stations by City
  • All Stations
Partners
  • CNN
  • Fox News
Music
  • All Music Stations
  • Music News
  • Pop
  • Alternative
  • Latino
 
  • Country
  • Rock
  • Classic Rock
  • Hip-Hop and R&B
EVENTS
  • LIVE Performances
Entertainment
  • Entertainment News
  • Movies
  • Television
  • The Reel Buzz
NEWS
  • All News Stations
  • Breaking News
  • Politics
  • Latino News
 
  • City Guide
  • Food & Drink
  • Money
  • Small Business Pulse
Sports
  • All Sports Stations
  • Sports News
  • NFL
  • MLB
  • NBA
  • NHL
 
  • NCAA Football
  • Deportes
  • Fantasy Football
  • Sports Betting
  • NFL Audio Hub
Originals
  • Baseball Isn’t Boring
  • The Best Football Show
  • Kickoff with Boomer
BetQL Network
  • Listen Live
  • Watch Live
  • BetMGM The Daily Tip
  • BetQL Daily
  • BetMGM Tonight
All Podcasts
  • Who Killed Strawberry?
  • Risk
  • Morning Brew Daily
  • Bitter Academia
  • Up First
 
  • Fly On The Wall
  • We Can Do Hard Things
  • Know Mercy
  • Back Issue
  • Name That News
 
  • HipHop Made
  • High Strange
  • Start Here
  • Pop Culture Happy Hour
  • Baseball Isn’t Boring
Where to Listen
  • About Audacy
  • Get the Audacy App
  • More Ways to Listen
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
  • FAQ
  • Find Us on Twitter
  • Contact Customer Support
STAY IN TOUCH
  • Sign up for Email
  • Follow Us on Social
More from Audacy
  • #ImListening
  • 1Thing
  • Contests
  • Contest Rules
  • All Music Stations
  • All News & Talk Stations
  • All Sports Stations
  • Stations by City
  • All Stations
  • CNN
  • Fox News
  • All Music Stations
  • Music News
  • Pop
  • Alternative
  • Latino
  • Country
  • Rock
  • Classic Rock
  • Hip-Hop and R&B
  • LIVE Performances
  • Entertainment News
  • Movies
  • Television
  • The Reel Buzz
  • All News Stations
  • Breaking News
  • Politics
  • Latino News
  • City Guide
  • Food & Drink
  • Money
  • Small Business Pulse
  • All Sports Stations
  • Sports News
  • NFL
  • MLB
  • NBA
  • NHL
  • NCAA Football
  • Deportes
  • Fantasy Football
  • Sports Betting
  • NFL Audio Hub
  • Baseball Isn’t Boring
  • The Best Football Show
  • Kickoff with Boomer
  • Listen Live
  • Watch Live
  • BetMGM The Daily Tip
  • BetQL Daily
  • BetMGM Tonight
  • Who Killed Strawberry?
  • Risk
  • Morning Brew Daily
  • Bitter Academia
  • Up First
  • Fly On The Wall
  • We Can Do Hard Things
  • Know Mercy
  • Back Issue
  • Name That News
  • HipHop Made
  • High Strange
  • Start Here
  • Pop Culture Happy Hour
  • Baseball Isn’t Boring
  • About Audacy
  • Get the Audacy App
  • More Ways to Listen
  • FAQ
  • Find Us on Twitter
  • Contact Customer Support
  • Sign up for Email
  • Follow Us on Social
  • #ImListening
  • 1Thing
  • Contests
  • Contest Rules
830 WCCO logo
    • The WCCO Morning News with Vineeta Sawkar
    • Adam and Jordana
    • The Chad Hartman Show
    • Drivetime with DeRusha
    • Henry Lake
    • Complete Schedule
    • Twins How-To-Listen
    • Local
    • National
    • World
    • Politics
    • Weather
    • Entertainment
    • Local Sports
    • Minnesota Twins
    • Minnesota Vikings
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • Contact Us
    • Email Newsletter
    • Contests
    • Contest Rules
    • Events
    • A look back at our history
    • 1Thing
    • I'm Listening
651-461-9226
651-461-9226
  • audio from 830 WCCO

    • Live
    • Podcasts
  • Ask your smart speaker to play

    news talk eight three oh W C C O

Home
830 WCCO
Local Sports
Local Former NFL Referee tells WCCO: "They got this all screwed up"

Former NFL Referee tells WCCO: "They got this all screwed up"

Cover Image
Photo credit © Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
By 830 WCCO
830 WCCO

Monday night, the NFL officiating took another hit following the Packers win over Detroit, in which a couple of very controversial calls seemingly gave the game to Green Bay.  Two hands-to-the-face fouls on Lion defensive lineman Trey Flowers.  Both of them on third down. The first set up a Green Bay touchdown, and the second allowed Green Bay to run the clock down to 2 seconds before Crosby's game-winner. In both cases, replays showed Flowers' hands on the neck or shoulder — not the face — of a Packers lineman.

Looks like there was an illegal hands to the face on one of those Trey Flowers plays... but it was on the Packers #Packers #Lions #MNF pic.twitter.com/Z4IZZRYkWi

— John Breech (@johnbreech) October 15, 2019

Tuesday night, Mike Max visited with retired NFL referee Bernie Kukar, who spent 22 season in the league.  He started as a back judge and was promoted to referee after 7 seasons.  He officiated Super Bowls in 1999 and 2002.  

He told Mike that if you're confused by officiating as a fan, so are the actual officials.

"Talking about the two hands to the face calls, and I can tell you there is no way those are penalties, those are false," said Kukar.  "But I can also tell you, interestingly enough, what's probably going on here, because I just got off the phone with one of the active officials who was on my crew, and I don't know what game he had, but he was ranting and raving and he said, 'these people up in New York don't know what the heck they're doing!' They got this all screwed up, everybody's confused. They don't know what to call, what not to call. I told him about that game and he said, I can tell you exactly what happened. The guy probably got three or four dings last week and now he's going to pick up on anything that's even right."

Officials are reviewed after each game by the league office and graded based on missed calls that could affect their ability to make a postseason crew, or even keep their current position.  

Kukar says, "That's what's happening. You know, if you get too many downgrades in this business, you're not going to get a playoff game. And, or if you get too many, too many consecutive years, you're not going to have a job anymore. So he says this stuff coming out of the league office."

It's not just Monday Night Football this week. Every game seems to have: too many flags, controversy, and endless replays. Former @NFL official Bernie Kukar agrees and he told @MaxWCCO refs are "confused".

Click here for the entire interview: https://t.co/vu6WjaGh9C pic.twitter.com/22KKMwyIim

— News Talk 830 WCCO (@wccoradio) October 16, 2019

"The officials are totally confused, so they're calling anything now. He (the current official) said we have 35 penalties in our game," said Kukar.  "That's impossible. He says because they got drilled the last the week before he's there with, they're calling anything that looks like a foul. In my opinion, what's happened is New York (the league office), and I don't know if it's coming from the commissioner or if it's coming from the competition committee or if it's coming from the coaches or where, but they taken common sense out of the game's officiating."

Kukar also discussed the difficulty of including pass interference penalties in challenges and replay.  New in 2019 is the ability to challenge pass interference, following the controversial no-call in last year's NFC Championship game between L.A. and New Orleans that ultimately game the Rams an opportunity to win the game in OT.  

"First of all, they should never put any penalties in replay. I told you that when you talked to me last time, this is going to open up a whole can of worms and it has. It's confused everybody and they don't know what they can do anymore. They don't know what they can't do. It's just confusing and it's totally, you should never put penalties involved. Where's it going to stop once you open the door to put that kind of thing in there, where's it going to stop next year? What next year? If some team gets shafted on holding call and the team loses as a result of that, are they going to throw holding in there next year?"

Kukar was clearly agitated by the current situation with officiating, saying he talks to current crews who are just as upset with how the league is handling officiating.  He told Mike that common sense and experience are not valued anymore.  

"They're bringing in guys that probably shouldn't be there yet. I'm not saying at some point in time they're not going to be good officials but they're bringing them in too early. They don't have enough college experience. That's where part of the problem is. These guys that were put on there in at back judge are guys that make the game deciding calls. So I saw so many young guys, they were calling these things when that should not have been called. It was totally ridiculous and they're still doing it. I got off the phone, like I said, with my old side judge. He has been doing this twenty-some years and he's got guys telling him 'Oh, I should call pass interference'. Oh great. They've only been in the league office for like 2 or 3 years!"

Photo credit © Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Former NFL Referee tells WCCO: "They got this all screwed up" 1

Photo credit © Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Former NFL Referee tells WCCO: "They got this all screwed up" 2

Photo credit © Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Former NFL Referee tells WCCO: "They got this all screwed up" 3

Photo credit © Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Former NFL Referee tells WCCO: "They got this all screwed up" 4

Photo credit © Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Former NFL Referee tells WCCO: "They got this all screwed up" 5

Photo credit © Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Former NFL Referee tells WCCO: "They got this all screwed up" 6

Photo credit © Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Former NFL Referee tells WCCO: "They got this all screwed up" 7

Photo credit © Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Former NFL Referee tells WCCO: "They got this all screwed up" 8

Photo credit © Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Former NFL Referee tells WCCO: "They got this all screwed up" 9

Photo credit © Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Former NFL Referee tells WCCO: "They got this all screwed up" 10

Photo credit (Getty Images / Quinn Harris / Stringer)

Former NFL Referee tells WCCO: "They got this all screwed up" 11

  • WCCO Sports
  • Local
  • NFL
  • football
  • Officials
  • Officiating
  • Bernie Kukar
  • Packers
  • Lions
  • Vikings
  • Galleries

LATEST

  • A lot of L's, but this time it's good… Lewis and Lopez stops Twins long playoff losing streak
  • Twins-Blue Jays Game 1: Royce Lewis and Carlos Correa in the starting lineup
  • Break the Streak: Twins hoping to put an end to 19 years of losing in the playoffs
  • Downtown Minneapolis businesses hoping for a long Twins playoff run
  • Will the streak continue? Twins have tough decisions to make ahead of the playoffs
×
830 WCCO  |  
News Talk
  1. Listen to News Talk 830 WCCO
  2. Contact Us
  3. Get our Newsletter
  4. EEO
  5. Public Inspection File
  6. Contest Rules
  7. FCC Applications
  8. Advertise with Us
© 2023 Audacy, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PART OF AUDACY NEWS. WCCO IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF CBS BROADCASTING INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

listen

  • Listen Live
  • Mobile App

connect

  • FAQ
  • 1Thing
  • Get My PERKS
  • #ImListening
  • Contact Us
  • Submit a Station
  • Submit a Podcast
  • Sitemap
  • Advertise with Us
  • Audacy Corporate Site

legal

  • Careers
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Copyright Notice
  • Music Submission Policy
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Info
  • Public Help File
© 2023 Audacy, Inc. All rights reserved. Part of Audacy.
!