The NFL has disbanded the seven-man crew of referees guided by chief official Pete Morelli after a terrible 2015 season, according to FootballZebras.com.
None of the seven will referee games together next season having been relocated to other crews.
Morelli, as Vikings fans might recall, was the chief referee of the controversial game between the Vikings and Saints in the 2009-10 NFC Championship. Morelli was sharply criticized for failing to flag the Saints after numerous illegal/unnecessary hits on Brett Favre and the Vikings, and Deadspin has the details on Morelli’s latest miscues.
“Morelli’s 2015 crew’s season was pretty inexplicable. They granted the Lions a timeout they didn’t have. They stole a down from the Cardinals, and later lost track of downs altogether. They missed a false start that would have sealed a Ravens win in a game they went on to lose. They stole 18 seconds from the Steelers’ two-minute drill.”
More interesting is the comments section in the Deadspin article, which is filled with complaints from Vikings fans about Morelli’s crew.
One commenter wrote: “I’m about as apathetic a Vikings fan as can be, and I will go off for an hour on that game if I get going. Was my (expletive) birthday too.”
If you can stomach it, here’s a full replay of that devastating championship loss.
