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Woelk: Big 12 needs to rethink its officiating
This corner has never been a particularly big fan of Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, but there's an envelope in the mail today with his name on it that includes a couple of bucks.
It's my contribution to the heavy-handed fine dished out by the Big 12 on Tuesday for Leach's comments concerning the officiating in the Texas-Texas Tech game.
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In case you missed it, the conference dropped a $10,000 penalty on Leach for implying that Big 12 ref Randy Christal may have been less than objective with his calls in the game. Christal is a resident of Austin, Texas, which also happens to be where the University of Texas is located.
"I think it's disturbing that Austin residents are involved in this. People work too hard, too long, there's too much money invested in these games to allow that," Leach said after the game. "Am I condemning the crew? Hell yeah, I'm condemning the crew."
The league reaction was predictable and swift.
"Coach Leach's public statements called into question the integrity and competence of game officials and the conference's officiating program," Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe said.
Good for Leach. Someone needed to do it. It's ridiculous that the Big 12 continues to allow officials who live in college towns to call games involving those same colleges.
It's also ridiculous that in a country in which it's perfectly legal to criticize your president, your governor or your mayor, college conferences and pro leagues do their best to muzzle their coaches.
Free speech anyone?
What makes the situation even worse is that the Big 12 has steadfastly refused over the years to admit its officials make mistakes. Instead, they make it more difficult every year for coaches and administrators to question the competency of the men who have a tremendous impact on their jobs and careers.
Most leagues admit their mistakes. The Pac-10 has done it several times. The Big East, the SEC and the Big Ten have regularly admitted mistakes by their officials.
But the Big 12 has seldom — if ever — admitted that an error has been made by one of its men in stripes.
That means either the conference's officials are perfect, or the league has its head in the sand.
We'll propose the latter. Talk to Big 12 coaches in both major sports — football and men's basketball — and you'll hear plenty of private complaints about the quality of officiating.
Oftentimes, the complaints center around a regional bias, such as an Austin resident calling a Texas game.
But there are other questionable decisions made by the conference when it comes to scheduling officials.
For instance, Clete Blakeman — a former Nebraska quarterback — two years ago served as an official in the Baylor-Nebraska game, and that's not the only NU game he's officiated. (Blakeman, by the way, is also the official who made the controversial calls at the end of the CU-Iowa State game last weekend).
Not to say that Blakeman, now an attorney in Omaha, would purposely make a call that would ever benefit the Huskers. Same with Christal and Texas games. One would hope that their integrity would overrule any deep-seated urges to help out the home team.
But even the hint of a possible impropriety is something a conference as prestigious as the Big 12 should avoid at all possible costs.
Even if it means starting from scratch and completely revamping its officiating procedures and crews.
Posted by walto_clown on November 14, 2007 at 4:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I agree Neill. I can't believe that Mr. Blakeman would ever attempt to influence a game. Around the office he's known as, "Ol' Mr. let the players decide the outcome at all costs."
The clock starts now and you have one arbitrary second to...oh wait...never mind...time expired.
Posted by rodrigo on November 14, 2007 at 7:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Ridiculous. The fascist side of college football. Google Clete Blackman. You'll find more than one reference to his crew and blown calls. Dan Beebe, what's more important: the integrity of the conference or loyalty to its current crop of questionable officials?
Posted by DCBuff on November 14, 2007 at 7:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Good article Neill. I had no idea the Big 12 operated its officiating like this. This needs to stop.
Posted by GloryGloryColorado on November 14, 2007 at 7:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Could you imagine the uproar in nebraska if Darian Hagan officiated a NU game?
Posted by Ralphie2 on November 14, 2007 at 9:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I AM STILL PISSED OFF ABOUT THE OFFICIATING IN THE ISU GAME.
P.S. What's the best thing to ever come out of Nebraska? I-80 West.
Posted by Saheeb on November 14, 2007 at 9:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Good story. What a combo of loudmouthed jerks Texas Tech has -- Bobby Knight and Mike Leach. Could anyone make sense of Leach's incoherent ramble about the refs and his bizarre analogies to ham and eggs and pigs? I don't know how that guy gets anyone to play for him. I dislike TT more than Nebraska. Leach runs the score up on everyone at any opportunity, whines constantly that he's getting screwed by officials, and didn't have the class to shake Hawk's hand at the end of the recent game. He's such an unsportsmanlike ass. What's odd about his rant too is that one of the two TDs called back he's pissed about was originally called a TD by the refs he's questioning. The replay booth overturned that TD call, not the refs on the field. And, the replay shows his receiver CLEARLY dropped the ball! However, I agree with his opinion that refs shouldn't be allowed to do a game if they live in an opponent's home town or played/attended school at a opponenent's university. God knows if I were a ref and did a CU-NU game it would be hard for me not to be biased. But, Leach is a complete boner.
Posted by rbboulder on November 14, 2007 at 10:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I watched both games and I can't still believe what I saw. On the CU game, there were at least 2 penalties against CU, that even the commentators said "I don't know where the penalty is". On the Texas tech game. There were plenty of bad calls that helped the longhorns. Leach is correct. Someone has to say something. I hope the league does somehing about it. GO BUFFS !
Posted by buffalo_flyer on November 14, 2007 at 12:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Unforgiveable; just the suspicion of blown calls should be a firing offense. Whats the motivation for the refs to stay unbiased?
For coaches that make hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars, they should speak up everytime there's a whisper of a doubt regarding fair play.
Posted by drchrisman on November 14, 2007 at 12:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Neil, great article exposing what continues to be a problem regarding officiating in the Big 12 (and other conferences). Although the Big 12 will continue to play the issue down, even the appearance of any impropriety should be avoided at all costs. "Integrity" is such an important word and concept. Recently, we have seen a NBA official taken down for gambling on games (even some he officiated), a NFL coach busted for stealing signals, steroids creeping into many sports (with even allegations on the PGA Tour), blood doping in biking, and track and field, and on and on. The Big 12 should be out in front on this issue, because absent integrity, the Big 12 is nothing. I am sure the argument will be made that referees can be objective, regardless of their past allegiances; howevever, this should not even be allowed to be an issue. Simply, officials with past ties to any college or city in the Big 12 should be working in a different conference.
Posted by phibuffa on November 14, 2007 at 12:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
As much of a blowhard as Leach is, at least he had the cojones to stand up for himself and his university and take the fine. He may have lost the battle, but if it results in Tech never having to have that ref again, he has won the war.
I really do not understand why the majority of the conference coaches and ADs do not address this issue of the perception (which in this case, is definately reality no matter whether it actually occurs) of ref bias during conference meetings. If they really want the appearance of propriety they should not ever allow refs from a rival school or town ref the games...EVER. Just dumb.
Posted by ColoradoPaul on November 14, 2007 at 12:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Did Blakeman make the call earlier in the game where Cody was called for a chop block? It seems to be highly irregular, for a former player to officiate in the conference. I am sure he isn't the first, but it is something that should be considered by league officials in the future.
I am recanting what I wrote earlier, that Hawk should have gone ballistic. It would have served no purpose. But, I think the coach needs to put some fire in the belly of the Buffs and go for the knockout when they have teams down. That means running the ball straight down the field, none of this direct snap, reverse and slow to develop pitch plays. Straight up the gut. I don't think there has been a team that has consistently stopped the Buffs fundamental running game this season.
Posted by william.nicholas on November 14, 2007 at 2:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Big 12 and prior to that Big 8 officials have been lousy for years..I can't even begin to recall all the wierd calls I have seen in the last 30 years in Boulder..how about the phantom holding call in the OU game in '87 and the offensive face mask on a lineman no less in the Miami game a few years ago ..and they just keep coming..for example, can anyone explain the penalty assessed against the punt coverage team in the Mizzou game.? and, the two chop blocks at ISU were simply awful calls..if Blakeman didn't make them someone on his class D crew did..
Posted by buffalotom on November 14, 2007 at 6:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
the chop block call on cody:
the replays reveal that cody engaged the defender first, then someone else hit him high. a chop block is the opposite sequence, i believe.
i couldn't record the game. does someone have a recording i could copy?
most entities that have conflict of interest rules have two dimensions to those rules. one, a clear conflict such as a ref having a financial or other interest in one of the teams engaged in a game to which he is assigned. two, the 'appearance of impropriety' standard which is essentially the 'front page' or 'smell' test, or, would a reasonable person have reason to suspect the objectivity of the persons in question, in this case the refs. based on other posts on this article, i believe the second criterion would exclude the refs used as examples in the article. clearly, some big12 refs do not meet the second criterion. is the solution to use refs from other parts of the country or, ones that don't live around a conference school.
i note that several nfl refs have lived in denver. were they allowed to ref donks games?
there is another oddity, perhaps. at spring scrimmages/games and fall scrimmages, big12 officials participate. these men seem to mix rather freely with coaches. i'd be more comfortable if there was less familiarity between refs and teams. is it just me?
Posted by houston_buff on November 14, 2007 at 8:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Now it has finally come out the conspiracy that both Nebraska and Texas get the best draws for game officials. Mack Brown is the benefactor of more calls than an East Colfax Friday nighter. What else needs to happen before the root of this comes to light? What's worse is Leach and his seperated-at-birth brother Stoopes have been on the other end of this many times. Does their arrogant and metrosexual behavior make one think daddy had the whistle on Saturday? Only time they get the shaft is when pops is at the lake that weekend. When the Big 12 starts to give up the "old boy" network it may start to change. That will only happen when one of these gamblers locked into to the home office gets on the wrong side. Ever see the Sting?
Posted by mulder1010 on November 15, 2007 at 12:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If you go back 2 years ago Mangino did the same thing. His Kansas team had UT beat and 2 totally silly pass interference kept UT in the NC hunt. Mangino went nuts in the press conference and got fined as well.
UT and OU get better draws becasue they are usually in the top ten and the big 12 realizes that if both teams can get to a BCS bowl the league cashes in.
I am in AZ and get a fair share of big 12 games but the Pac 10 crews make the MWC officals almost NFL like. The Pac 10 officals are terrible across the board.
Posted by choderlos1741 on November 15, 2007 at 11:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The Big XII has pulled this crap for years. For several years in the 90's, starting about 94, the conference had a crew ref the CU-Nebraska game with a linesman from Omaha. (could be bakeman, I don't know) and every year the same linesman would make several really wierd calls on CU. in both 96 and 97 we'd be driving late in the game with a chance to take the lead and we'd get an offensive pass interference call on baby-cake hand fighting, something that wasn't called all game on either team. In 95 we caused a fumble and ran it back for a touchdown and this same clown waited until after we had the ball to call the nebraska guy's forward progress stopped. If his progress was stopped why didn't he whistle it dead until after we had the ball and were running the other way? I don't know if this guy is still reffing cu nebraska games but its ridiculous that guys from omaha ref nebraska games, or austin guys ref texas games.
As bad as the officiating is in the pac 10, maybe we should start looking into jumping ship to a conference that doesn't have guys ref their home teams? Better stupid, honest refs than stupid, crooked refs.
Posted by reallifeshocker on November 15, 2007 at 8:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
no matter what anyone says, there is no way that a truly honest man.....i mean this with all sincerity, would place the conference in such a difficult position that the officials from austin and omaha did. no matter what, they will always call into question their honesty and integrity, and thus the league as well. they must not, as attorney (blakeman) should know, (and this is intuitive to all), place themselves in this position, they should recuse themselves, to protect the perceived, if not actual sense of fair play.
Posted by renglish5 on November 16, 2007 at 7:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Yeah - it's too bad about the "blown call" last Saturday. And blown calls in general really...wait, unless you're Charles Johnson and CU in 1990 on 5th down. And speaking of really influential outcomes, as I recall that's the year CU shared a national championship - the only one in its "storied" history.
Paypacks are the proverbial.
Posted by WigginsBuff on November 16, 2007 at 4:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Thank you - renglish - for offering a dose of reality. Teams get screwed by officials' calls one week, then benefit the next. It's the nature of the game and there's nothing I detest more than a team who plays poorly and can think of no more convenient excuse than to blame the officiating.
Neil - it's absolutely hackish college journalism to play the 'Free Speech' card. The conference has policies for addressing the questioning of officials in a private forum. Just like if your wife has a beef with you about something that goes on in your own home - you'd rather her not air out her differences at the Thanksgiving dinner table in front of your whole family. There's a time and place for everything. It has nothing to do with Constitutional freedoms, and everything to do with professionalism and respect for procedure - and Mike Leach has proven that he has none. It probably says something about how he runs his own program.
Heck - I agree that officials should not be calling games in their own home town. But, Mike Leach's actions should not be complimented, and sportswriters should not make grotesque over-reactions turning this into a free speech issue. The Big 12 should have fined him $20,000.
Posted by extrapoint on November 16, 2007 at 10:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
refs cant continue to soley police themselves
Posted by rootr_17 on December 3, 2007 at 2:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Don't forget 5th down at Mizzou - crap officiating has existed for years in the Big 12 and I guess it's just something we have to deal with. Perhaps the ISU game is karma for the national title that was given to us...
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