National Football League

NFL hires 24 full-time game officials, up from 21 last year

Published Aug. 30, 2018 6:45 p.m. ET

NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL has hired 24 full-time game officials, including veteran referees Walt Anderson and Pete Morelli.

The NFL and NFL Referees Association made the announcement Thursday. The number of full-time officials is up from 21 last season.

All seven on-field officiating positions — referee, umpire, down judge, line judge, field judge, side judge and back judge — will be represented with full-timers.

The full-time officials will work throughout the year to help improve various aspects of officiating, including game preparation and administration, analyzing game trends, communicating with teams, and helping develop a pipeline of future officials.

Alberto Riveron, the NFL's Senior Vice President of Officiating, says the full-time officials were beneficial last year and improved communication with teams.