| Don't know whether he's reacting to a play or a call, but I'm not going to let this Jimbo Fisher photo from Saturday night's game go unposted. (US Presswire) |
The ACC on Monday announced suspensions for officials and one player from two separate Saturday games, including a reprimand for the entire crew officiating Florida State's 33-20 win over Miami.
David Epperley, the crew chief and referee for that game, has been suspended one game by the league for "failing to properly administer the 10-second runoff rule at the end of the first half." The rest of the officiating crew received "letters of reprimand" from the ACC.
North Carolina freshman linebacker Shakeel Rashad received a one-game suspension from the ACC for his "dangerous collision against an unsuspecting Duke player" during a substitution. As Rashad was running on the field, he collided with Duke wide receiver Conner Vernon, knocking him to the ground. The league also issued a one-game suspension to Tyrone Davis, the head linesman in that Duke-North Carolina contest, for "failure to adhere to correct mechanics of game and rules related to player safety."
Both rivalry games were affected by questionable calls, and both games featured heated moments between players that could have been handled differently. The last two days have been filled with complaints from fans regarding the officiating this weekend and plenty of question-dodging from the coaches.
This was not a "must-address" scenario for the league, in my opinion, but seeing ACC commissioner John Swofford take action may have been a warning to the rest of the ACC crews to tighten up down the stretch. League offices do not often penalize their officials for "bad" officiating, but when there is a situation regarding game administration or player safety, they can react and send the same message.
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