The conference is changing its officiating policies and procedures following an external review.
The review was spearheaded by Sibson Consulting and overseen by a subcommittee of Pac-12 athletic directors from Arizona State, Oregon, Oregon State and Colorado.
Effective immediately:
• The head of officiating will report directly to commissioner Scott and not the football administrator;
• Officials will follow new procedures put forth in a new replay manual;
• Officials will receive new training programs;
• The league will have “more transparency and public comment around significant calls or errors” that impact the results of games or player safety.
“This was a very extensive and comprehensive process, and as I mentioned, we are moving forward to implement all of Sibson’s recommendations to build upon what they found is a very strong, fundamental foundation for the Pac-12 officiating program but with significant areas for improvement,” Scott said Wednesday in his address to the media.
“We are committed to excellence, being the best we can be, and ensuring that our officiating program continues to improve and is as strong as possible.”
Pac-12 football officiating has been under fire since September, when an internal document released to Yahoo Sports showed potential meddling by the league office during an official review of a potential targeting call. A game official believed he was overruled by a Pac-12 executive when it came to a targeting call against Washington State linebacker Logan Tago in a game against USC.
The official, along with the league’s “command center,” believed Tago deserved a targeting call and an ejection. A “third party” disagreed, the official said, and the call was reversed. USC rallied to beat Washington State 39-36.
The third party was later revealed to be Woodie Dixon, the Pac-12’s general counsel and senior vice president of business affairs who also oversees football.
Scott later said that Dixon did not intend to sway the officials, even though his opinions may have been taken as a directive.
Read the full report here:
