Radio Broadcasts Officials Name and Hometown on calls they don't agree with.

[camaulds]

MSU 26 U of Michigan 24...In the game several big calls by Officials on the field went against the U of M. Subsequent review on TV showed that game Officials had correctly ruled on each play.

The broadcast team placed blame for the loss squarely on the shoulders of the game Officials. This was stated repeatedly in the post game and was punctuated with the statement that the Big 10 will never compete for the National Championship while such call are allowed. The game Officials provided the U of M and MSU a fair game for each team. The statement suggest that game Officials must favor Michigan if the Big 10 is ever to compete. I have heard these types of statements from this broadcast team for years and now they have taken it to a greater more serious level. Intimidation of future game Officials.

After one particular call against the Wolverines the broadcast team for U of M annouced the name of the Official making the call and his hometown. They also expressed how bad the call was in their opinion.

I have heard this particular broadcast do this previously. They regularly hammer Officials from the Big 10. Whether the calls are right or wrong it should never be appropriate for broadcast teams to announce the name and hometown of Officials making those calls.

What does this broadcast team possibly expect to gain from such a practice? What are they trying to do to the game Official involved? It seems to me they are encouraging reprisal. In other words "This guy made a bad call on us so here's his name and city where he lives." If this is appropriate on the air conduct then why stop there? Why not give his address and phone number as well?

This is a blatant attempt to influence future game Officials!

In the day and age in which we live it is hard, dare we say dangerous, to do what we do without having our name and hometown broadcast after making the tough call.

Imagine having that done to you with all the radios in the stands or having to go home to find a fanatical fan waiting for you. Heaven forbid they take it out on your family.

I don't know who should be contacted at the NCAA, U of M or the home station for the broadcast but clearly something MUST be done before the unthinkable happens to one of the brethren in stripes.

If anyone out there knows who to contact at the NCAA let us all know so we can flood them with protest of this practice.