First All-Black NFL Officiating Crew to Ref Rams VS Bucs Game

The Monday night game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be a momentous NFL occasion. 

It will be the first time in NFL history that an all Black crew will officiate a game. The crew is comprised of some of the most experienced officials around. 

Jerome Boger, in his 17th season as a referee, will lead the crew. He officiated the Super Bowl XLVII.

“This historic Week 11 crew is a testament to the countless and immeasurable contributions of Black officials to the game, their exemplary performance, and to the power of inclusion that is the hallmark of this great game,” Troy Vincent, NFL executive vice president of football operations, said.

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The rest of the officiating crew is as follows:

Umpire Barry Anderson – 14th season, North Carolina State – 2019 Season SB LIV

Down Judge Julian Mapp – 12th season, Grambling State

Line Judge Carl Johnson – 17th season, Nicholls State – 2019 Season SB LIV; 2007 Season SB XLII

Side Judge Dale Shaw – 8th season, Allegheny

Field Judge Anthony Jeffries – 3rd season, Alabama-Birmingham

Back Judge Greg Steed – 18th season, Howard – 2019 Season SB LIV; 2009 Season SB XLIV

The fixture featuring the Los Angeles Rams is in itself historically significant. It was the first team to include black players since 1933 when it signed Kenny Washington and Woody Strode in 1946. 

Read: NFL Week 11 Lines – Reasons To Bet on Each Underdog

Over a politically and racially charged year, the league has made a number of efforts to promote inclusivity. This includes social justice messages being inscribed on end zones among other such gestures. Commissioner Roger Goodell even admitted that the league should have listened to black players sooner.

However, these gestures have been widely criticized by players as tokenism.