Rosebowl's Aricle on SEC Officiating

[ShotgunDawg]

Have no idea if this is VIP or not.

https://247sports.com/college/mississippi-state/Article/Officiating-in-the-Southeastern-Conference-is-always-a-hot-button-issue-but-it-is-time-for-the-league-to-take-some-steps-to-repair-the-optics--125028578/

[Commercecomet24]

Thats the problem when you have no transparency. The SEC office is a joke and the officiating has been a joke for decades.

[DancingRabbit]

It's tilting at windmills, but good for Steve. Nobody else in the media will make a peep.

It's not premium.

[West Tn Dawg]

Why have we not heard Cohen make any statements? Surely he could at least make us think he is doing something!

[Jack Lambert]

So in the Arkansas game of 2009 they got an explanation for the bad call. In this past weekend in the Ole Miss game they got an explanation. In our game we did not get an explanation but the ref who made the bad call apparently did not get to call a game this weekend.

My conclusion they could not give an explanation to our game because they knew the ref blew the call so they stayed quiet. They probably did suspend the ref this week if I was guessing. So why not just come out and say it was a bad call and the ref was discipline? What harm does it do. In fact it would do a lot of good for the SEC to let people know what is going on.

[StateDawg44]

Why have we not heard Cohen make any statements? Surely he could at least make us think he is doing something!

Like what? Would it really matter?

[Todd4State]

Why have we not heard Cohen make any statements? Surely he could at least make us think he is doing something!

Because the school would get fined and it would be after the offiicial was suspends the rest of the regular season.

[West Tn Dawg]

Because the school would get fined and it would be after the offiicial was suspends the rest of the regular season.

BDORK put out a statement that he was on the phone with Sankey and the head of officiating on the plane home from Nashville, after the overturned TD with Vandy.
I would expect at least that from Cohen. If he did make a statement, I missed it and I apologize.

[RocketDawg]

Have no idea if this is VIP or not.

https://247sports.com/college/mississippi-state/Article/Officiating-in-the-Southeastern-Conference-is-always-a-hot-button-issue-but-it-is-time-for-the-league-to-take-some-steps-to-repair-the-optics--125028578/

One thing Steve failed to mention in the article was that Alabama had no "moving violation" penalties in the game. They had one for a kickoff that went out of bounds, but that's equivalent to a parking ticket. They're either the most well-disciplined team ever, or they had penalties that were just not called.

[Homedawg]

BDORK put out a statement that he was on the phone with Sankey and the head of officiating on the plane home from Nashville, after the overturned TD with Vandy.
I would expect at least that from Cohen. If he did make a statement, I missed it and I apologize.

Cohen said he had conversations w the commissioner and head of officials. Same as Bjork.

[somebodyshotmypaw]

When it comes to bad calls, things like the block in the back at Bama are the worst. Refs are human and sometimes they miss things. Maybe a holding occurs and they honestly don't see it. A ref can honestly say to his boss "I didn't see it". But on the block in the back, the ref called something that didn't even exist. So there was no missed call. He simply called something HE DIDN'T EVEN SEE. So the ref can't claim to have accidently missed it, because there was nothing there to miss. He fabricated it. And fabricating a call is 100 times worse than missing one.

[Commercecomet24]

When it comes to bad calls, things like the block in the back at Bama are the worst. Refs are human and sometimes they miss things. Maybe a holding occurs and they honestly don't see it. A ref can honestly say to his boss "I didn't see it". But on the block in the back, the ref called something that didn't even exist. So there was no missed call. He simply called something HE DIDN'T EVEN SEE. So the ref can't claim to have accidently missed it, because there was nothing there to miss. He fabricated it. And fabricating a call is 100 times worse than missing one.

Extremely well said!

[Bully13]

Scathing and honest and obvious.

[BB30]

One thing Steve failed to mention in the article was that Alabama had no "moving violation" penalties in the game. They had one for a kickoff that went out of bounds, but that's equivalent to a parking ticket. They're either the most well-disciplined team ever, or they had penalties that were just not called.

Yea, this chapped my a** just as much as the poor calls.

As bad as their O line was playing you can't tell me there wasn't a holding penalty in there somewhere. When you are continuously getting beat by your man and your QB is on one leg you are going to hold at some point.

[HeCannotGo]

Nice article by Steve. I would suggest inserting the following into his article:

"Steve Shaw, a graduate of the University of Alabama, is the supervisor of SEC officials. Shaw, who attended the University of Alabama, says that the SEC is fully committed to avoiding even the appearance of impropriety. Alabama alum Shaw, when interviewed at the SEC office in Birmingham, Alabama, went on to state that he frequently reviews the criteria for officials to be sure that none of them let their allegiance to a particular school influence their decisions. 'We want to be sure that nothing that happens on the field or in the SEC office is even remotely connected to the innate biases that people inevitably bring to the table,' commented Crimson Tide alum Shaw.

When Alabama alumnus Steve Shaw was asked if having an Alabama graduate serve as the league's supervisor of officials created at least the appearance of impropriety, Alabama graduate Steve Shaw had no comment and asked the interviewer to leave the SEC Headquarters building located in Birmingham, Alabama."

[ShotgunDawg]

Nice article by Steve. I would suggest inserting the following into his article:

"Steve Shaw, a graduate of the University of Alabama, is the supervisor of SEC officials. Shaw, who attended the University of Alabama, says that the SEC is fully committed to avoiding even the appearance of impropriety. Alabama alum Shaw, when interviewed at the SEC office in Birmingham, Alabama, went on to state that he frequently reviews the criteria for officials to be sure that none of them let their allegiance to a particular school influence their decisions. 'We want to be sure that nothing that happens on the field or in the SEC office is even remotely connected to the innate biases that people inevitably bring to the table,' commented Crimson Tide alum Shaw.

When Alabama alumnus Steve Shaw was asked if having an Alabama graduate serve as the league's supervisor of officials created at least the appearance of impropriety, Alabama graduate Steve Shaw had no comment and asked the interviewer to leave the SEC Headquarters building located in Birmingham, Alabama."

The entire situation is an Alabama swamp. The presidents are the only ones that can drain it.

[Cooterpoot]

Robertson better be careful. He's gotten very involved in a lot of stuff that's above his pay grade and eventually it's going to bite him. I'm all for talking about stuff, but you push too hard, you better have the backing to handle the push back.

[Mobile Bay]

Robertson better be careful. He's gotten very involved in a lot of stuff that's above his pay grade and eventually it's going to bite him. I'm all for talking about stuff, but you push too hard, you better have the backing to handle the push back.

Are you thinking he might get Logan Younged?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logan_Young

[maroonmania]

Robertson better be careful. He's gotten very involved in a lot of stuff that's above his pay grade and eventually it's going to bite him. I'm all for talking about stuff, but you push too hard, you better have the backing to handle the push back.

Glad he's poking the bear. We still have the good 'ol boy system in the SEC because VERY few are willing to speak up against it. Yes, Steve could get some backlash but if there aren't some people around the league willing to make a stink, at whatever their personal cost, then NOTHING will ever change in the SEC.

[Interpolation_Dawg_EX]

Robertson better be careful. He's gotten very involved in a lot of stuff that's above his pay grade and eventually it's going to bite him. I'm all for talking about stuff, but you push too hard, you better have the backing to handle the push back.

Doesn't his wife have a fresh $500K from a defamation lawsuit against an ole miss woman or was that fake? I've been away from the boards. Plus he and Mars have gotten pretty tight over all of this.

[maroonmania]

When it comes to bad calls, things like the block in the back at Bama are the worst. Refs are human and sometimes they miss things. Maybe a holding occurs and they honestly don't see it. A ref can honestly say to his boss "I didn't see it". But on the block in the back, the ref called something that didn't even exist. So there was no missed call. He simply called something HE DIDN'T EVEN SEE. So the ref can't claim to have accidently missed it, because there was nothing there to miss. He fabricated it. And fabricating a call is 100 times worse than missing one.

You are dead on and that's what has been SO egregious about the officiating in the last 2 Bama games. Last year's game you had an official DIRECTLY see something (Skelton) and then after seeing the result of the play REFUSE to call the penalty. Would have been easier to swallow if he hadn't thrown the hat and then just later said 'I just missed it'. Then this year you have a guy make a penalty call on a play that he absolutely had no direct viewing angle to see at all what actually happened but it was a convenient call to make to prevent a TD from being scored on Bama. So you have one penalty SEEN and not called against Bama and then you have another penalty NOT SEEN yet called on MSU.

And Steve and others need to quit using the word "incompetence" and or "conspiracy". If you use the work "incompetence" it sounds like these are random errors that can go against ANY league team which is not the case. If you use the word "conspiracy" it congers up in the mind meetings in back rooms to ensure these bad calls happen which I highly doubt is the case either. The correct word is BIAS. The SEC officials definitely look to protect Bama and so they are extremely biased in the calls they make, at least when it comes to the MSU game. I don't watch that many other Bama games but I assume there is a lot of that with other league teams against Bama as well.

And finally Shaw needs to go. The SEC really doesn't need anyone heading up the officiating that is directly tied to one SEC school. Needs to be someone from the outside.

[RocketDawg]

Robertson better be careful. He's gotten very involved in a lot of stuff that's above his pay grade and eventually it's going to bite him. I'm all for talking about stuff, but you push too hard, you better have the backing to handle the push back.

I'm not sure what you mean. What kind of repercussions is he supposed to suffer? He's not employed by the school so he can't cause a fine. He's just saying the same things most posters here and elsewhere say.

[Cooterpoot]

Plus he and Mars have gotten pretty tight over all of this.

This is what I was talking about. He better have Mars in his corner. And he and jean better not piss off Cohen again either. Big difference in going at OM and going at the SEC.

[NWADAWG]

Because disciplinary action is usually a result of intentional wrong doing. There was already talk of conspiracy so to add that the ref was disciplined would imply / confirm in many people's minds that it was indeed and intentional bad call. Then liabilities toward the universities can start to show up in that case. When they can explain that it was just an accidental miss, they have little to worry about so tell the world you are sorry and move on.

Message board writers don't mean squat to them unless a bunch quit buying tickets and watching games on tv.

[Mobile Bay]

I'm not sure what you mean. What kind of repercussions is he supposed to suffer? He's not employed by the school so he can't cause a fine. He's just saying the same things most posters here and elsewhere say.

Alabama murdered Logan Young over what he did.

[RocketDawg]

Alabama murdered Logan Young over what he did.

Well, "Alabama", the university, didn't murder him. And that situation was totally different than complaining about poor or biased officiating ... it was about paying players/coaches huge amounts of money to sign. Yes, in the end biased officiating is about money (bowls, NCs, etc.) but it's still not the same as Logan Young.