The NFL has fired official Hugo Cruz for performance reasons. He was canned over his poor performance in Chargers-Browns game.This is the first time an NFL official has been fired mid season in the Superbowl era.
This referee Hugo Cruz was, in fact, fired, though I’m told it was for his performance and not meeting the standard over a sustained period of time, rather than one call. Still, quite noteworthy. https://t.co/ZeThRcCiKp
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 25, 2018
An NFL spokesman declined to comment.
Here’s the play in question below:
The NFL has fired down judge Hugo Cruz, who missed a clear false start on #Chargers OT Russell Okung in Week 6, per @footballzebras. This is the first time in the Super Bowl era that the NFL has fired an official in the middle of the regular season.https://t.co/cmLpOD7BKC
— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) October 25, 2018
However the NFLRA (National Football League Referee Assocation) has made a comment.
The NFLRA, as allowed by its collective bargaining agreement with the NFL, has up to 90 days to file the grievance.
There is nothing remotely close to being “reckless” in this decision. When you have a job you must be held accountable. Sucks that he got fired mid season, but this if the nature of being employed.
You can’t make all the calls perfect but calls that change outcome of games should have consequences.
