SUMMARY
- Bill Vinovich has been a major controversy in 2019 for his ignorant officiating.
- A petition was started to fire Bill Vinovich as well as the other officials overseeing the game back in 2019.
In addition to officiating collegiate basketball, Bill Vinovich III is an American football official for the National Football League (NFL). He began his career as an NFL referee in 2001 and has continued to do so since 2012. Pennsylvania’s Beaver County is the birthplace of Vinovich.
After his family relocated to California, he played football for four years of college before switching to officiating and earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a focus in accounting in 1983 from the University of San Diego.
Bill Vinovich’s biggest business decision pic.twitter.com/cPcZYdClfb
— 5⚜️4 Ralph Lauren (@504Tru) February 7, 2024
However, Bill Vinovich has been the focal point of a major controversy in 2019 for his ignorant officiating. Referee Vinovich officiated the 2019 NFC Championship game between the Los Angeles Rams and the New Orleans Saints, where the most talked-about aspect of the contest was the play that went unpunished late in the fourth quarter.
A petition to remove Vinovich and his officiating staff was filed in response to the alleged no-call, which might have prevented the New Orleans Saints from winning the Super Bowl. Despite almost 150,000 signatures on the petition, the NFL did nothing.
What happened between the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints in 2019?
Based on merit, the NFL selects its roster for the Super Bowl. It’s important to remember, though, that Bill Vinovich has had some less-than-stellar officiating experiences despite his background. The 2019 NFC championship game had the most notorious and controversial incident.
Bill Vinovich no-call cost #Saints NFC title. Now? He’s in charge of this #SuperBowl. An officiating controversy before #SuperBowLIV kicks off https://t.co/O4AciR64mq
— Ryan Dunleavy (@rydunleavy) February 1, 2020
In the fourth quarter, Rams CB Nickell Robey-Coleman struck Saints wide receiver Tommylee Lewis helmet-to-helmet. The hit was unnoticed by the referees. Ultimately, the Rams prevailed in overtime to win the game; this turned out to be one of the most controversial decisions and faced a lot of backlash from the NFL community.
Not only that, widespread criticism of the missed call resulted in a major overhaul of the NFL’s officiating guidelines. In reaction to such events, teams were permitted to contest pass interference calls beginning with the 2020 season.
Why did the NFL not fire Bill Vinovich after the 2019 incident?
Following the Rams’ 26-23 overtime victory over the Saints, a petition was started requesting that the league fire officiator Bill Vinovich as well as the other officials overseeing the game back in 2019. After failing to call a clear pass-interfering penalty in the latter stages of the fourth quarter, the referees faced criticism.
Sports fans : Fire Bill Vinovich! – Sign the Petition! https://t.co/ZeGTkrX7Yh via @Change
— WayneBreezie (@thewaynebreezie) February 7, 2020
Due to a missed call in the fourth quarter of the 2019 NFC Championship game involving the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints, the NFL was pushed to terminate the officiating crew by hundreds of thousands of fans. However, he was not fired, and surprisingly, he has also been selected to officiate the Super Bowl LVIII.