It would be an understatement of epic proportions to say that the officiating in the SEC this year has come under scrutiny.
From phantom celebration calls to questionable pass interference penalties to a touchdown return that wasn’t to a non-interception interception just yesterday, the criticism of SEC officiating is at an all-time high and seemingly dominates the discussion on a weekly basis.
It would seem that something needs to be done about the level of officiating in the conference at season’s end. To at least one high-level observer, though, that is far from the case.
In fact, according to SEC coordinator of officials Alfred E. Neuman Rogers Redding, he sees absolutely, positively nothing wrong with how his underlings have gone about their job in 2009.
“This is not broke,” Redding said, displaying an amazing ability to communicate with humans even as his head is buried in the sand. “It doesn’t need fixing. ... I think we’ve had a really good season so far.”
A really good season? Really? What exactly constitutes a really bad season, an on-field stabbing that goes undetected but is overturned upon review?
Hopefully, this is simply a case of Redding pulling out the a healthy dose of hyperbole in an attempt to bolster his beleaguered officials, and some real steps will be taken in the offseason to address the “uneven” officiating throughout the conference.
That’s going to happen, right? Right? Hello... taptaptap... is this thing on?