NFL referee Tony Corrente has resigned from his position as coordinator of football officiating for the Pac-12 Conference.
In a release from the Pac-12, Corrente’s resignation was due for personal and professional reasons. The conference has appointed Jim Blackwood as interim coordinator.
“Under Tony’s leadership, our program made great strides in improving the quality, accountability and consistency. While it’s unfortunate that Tony has decided to leave us at this time, I want to express my appreciation for his contribution, and for leaving our officiating program strong and headed in the right direction,” commissioner Larry Scott said in a statement.
Corrente has been an NFL official since 1995 and a head referee since 1998. He was selected to work the AFC Championship game between the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots last January and also was the head referee for Super Bowl XLI.
According to Dave Mahler of 950 KJR in Seattle, Corrente resigned Wednesday morning due to perceived issues stemming from the conference blaming the officiating in losses for Oregon, Stanford and UCLA.
The three teams were perhaps the conference’s best hope to gain entry into the four-team college football playoff this year. With those teams losing, the odds for a playoff berth have been significantly reduced.
As a west coast resident and someone who sees Pac-12 games regularly, the quality of the officiating inthe league in both football and basketball has been consistently horrible for ages. Corrente was hired to help stabilize the officiating throughout the conference. It hasn’t been successful. Rarely a game goes by in the conference without a very visible call affecting the outcome of games.
The Pac-12 will look to hire a replacement for Corrente after the season.
Per FootballZebras.com, Corrente will be the head referee for the San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders game this Sunday.