A nationwide FAA ground stop disrupted NFL officials’ travel, prompting the league to reassign three officials to Sunday games within driving distance of their hometowns. The officials will step in as referees, while one will work two games in different cities.

By the Numbers
  • 3 officials were reassigned to referee Week 10 games.
  • Don Willard is scheduled to work 2 games, with 7 hours and 20 minutes between kickoffs.
  • The FAA lifted the ground stop at 8:15 p.m. ET Friday.
Yes, But

The ground stop was lifted Friday night, but resuming air travel was expected to take time. The NFL says each of its 17 officiating crews has a trained backup referee, giving the league a contingency for staffing changes.

State of Play
  • Barry Anderson will referee Jaguars-Titans in Tennessee; Duane Heydt will referee Panthers-Saints in New Orleans.
  • Willard will referee Dolphins-Colts in Indianapolis, then travel to Cincinnati for Bengals-Steelers on Sunday night.
  • Air traffic control was affected by a temporary telecommunications outage; the disruption also altered college football schedules, including postponing Ole Miss-Oklahoma to Sunday.
Bottom Line

The NFL is keeping its Week 10 officiating assignments intact through local travel and trained backups, but the unusually demanding double assignment underscores how quickly transportation disruptions can affect game-day operations.