Four NFL officials worked two games Sunday — the Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts at 1 p.m. ET and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals at 8:20 p.m. — after a nationwide FAA ground stop disrupted air travel.
Referee Don Willard, umpire Terry Killens, field judge Jabir Walker and side judge Justin Larrew officiated the Dolphins-Colts game in Indianapolis, then drove approximately 110 miles to Cincinnati for the Steelers-Bengals game. Willard served as referee for both contests, though his primary role is side judge.
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The NFL announced the revised assignments Sunday morning. Each of the league’s 17 officiating crews has a designated backup referee trained year-round to assume the referee position if needed — a contingency that enabled Willard’s reassignment.
The FAA issued a nationwide ground stop Friday — the longest in 25 years — after new technology deployed in the national air traffic control system caused intermittent communications failures and radar gaps. It was the second such nationwide stop since the September 11, 2001, attacks.
U.S. airlines canceled more than 2,000 flights over the weekend. The disruption prompted professional and college sports teams to seek alternate transportation, according to reporting that used information from The Associated Press.
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