Today Chris Low at ESPN.com writes about remarks SEC Commissioner Mike Slive made at a Chattanooga civic club in regard to bad calls. In essence, here was his take: “Officials are going to make bad calls, so when they do, don’t have a public hanging for them.” Read the full story here.

File this one in the category of “common sense”, but here’s an idea Mike: Make all calls reviewable.

Regardless of who you pull for, if it hasn’t happened to you yet, it will. One day your beloved Tide, Hogs or Fighting Chiziks will be competing in a hard fought game, only to have the game taken away by an official in his 60’s trying to assess live game action…making a snap decision that could be wrong, going against your team.

Save me the spiel about “one play doesn’t determine a game.” Yes, it sometimes does.

Instant replay has done wonders to insure that fumbles and interceptions are legitimate, and that players are in fact in bounds when they drag that ever so important toe along the sideline. But why not take it an obvious step further?

1. Review pass interference calls (I can name five bad ones right now)
2. Review personal fouls (to see who was involved, and what actually happened)
3. Review facemask/horse collar penalties
4. Review unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, especially when they decide the game (can I get a witness, Georgia)?

Having instant replay but not using it for EVERYTHING to preserve the integrity of the game is simply ludicrous.

Do you agree?

3 thoughts on “Slive Says Don’t Hang Officials…”

  1. Absolutely, but only when it goes against the other team! Otherwise I’ll take a win any way I can get it! Chop block that sumbitch! They call me Mr. Pimps, err, Pat Dye!

  2. My problem with too much review is that it destroys the flow of the game.

    Get a big turnover? Good luck getting a chance to exploit the momentum swing because here comes a challenge, or booth review or whatever.

    Sometimes people make mistakes. I think the review in college is about the most intrusive that we should allow. Anything else risks turning football into the equivalent of sailing–which seems to spend more time in challenge hearings run by sea lawyers than in actual races.

  3. That is right cappy.I will not sit down to watch a game that is in review every other play and last six hours.. That is insane..

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