The Los Angeles Rams finished the 2024 NFL season with a record of 10-7. And yet, I struggle to recall a single game that did not have some questionable calls by the NFL officiating crews. The impact of questionable penalties had grown so noticeable that we began to track the announcers and officials assigned to each game in which the Rams competed last season.
It was clear after the first few games of last season that poor judgement by NFL officials would be an ongoing challenge last year. While every game has some element of controversy, the threshold of how significantly NFL games were impacted by penalty calls, either made or not made, was often the hot topic at the office water cooler on Monday morning.
Well, the league appears to be taking steps to improve its integrity and reputation, as three NFL officials who actively called games throughout the 2024 NFL season have been dismissed. In essence, they are returning to call NCAA football games:
The surprising news was reported by Footballzebras.com's Ben Austro, and was something that NFL fans found to be a hot topic. In his article, Austro named the trio of NFL officials who were given their release:
"The three officials that the NFL has placed back into the Power 5 conferences are second-year umpire James Carter, third-year line judge Robin DeLorenzo, and first-year down judge Robert Richeson. Carter was an alternate official in the wild card round last season, but due to multiple injuries at the position, that may have been a necessity. DeLorenzo did not qualify for a postseason game in her two eligible seasons. Richeson was not playoff eligible as he was only in his first season."Ben Austro
Now the question is, did they have any impacts on games played by the Rams last season?
Umpire James Carter served on Head Referee Clay Martin's crew. Line Judge Robin Delorenzo served on Head Referee Carl Cheffers' crew. And finally, Down Judge Robert Richeson served on Head Referee Alex Kemp's crew.
- Umpire James Carter | Week 9 @ Seattle Seahawks | Week 15 @ San Francisco 49ers
- Line Judge Robin Delorenzo | Did not officiate Rams games
- Down Judge Robert Richeson | Did not officiate Rams games
Based on the above information, the Rams did win both games that Umpire James Carter officated, both being NFC West Division games played on the road. Neither Line Judge Robin Delorenzo nor Dowon Judge Robert Richeson officiated any games that the Rams played.
While it is unlikely to fix the challenges of poor officiating instantly, the move does set the stage for the public's perception that the NFL is aware of the problem and is self-policing the matter to squelch the rising frequency of questionable calls. It is also great news that the Rams emerged relatively unscathed, as the team played just two games on the Rams' schedule in 2024 impacted by the news, and won both games.
Hopefully, games will face less controversial calls by officials in 2025.
