Former Referrees in booth

[bisonlj]

Just read the fan comments under the nfl.com Official Review videos. No matter what Mike P says the fans are convinced he's only covering for his officials and will never admin they were wrong (although he often does admit mistakes). An official commented once that he felt bad for fans who had to watch games without knowledge of the rules and how frustrating that must be. I've always thought it would be good to have an official accessbile to the announcers but you bring up a good point. I believe the supervisor of the conferece of the crew working bowl games was in the press box and sharing information with the announcers from time to time. I wonder if the announcers realize they don't know the rules or if they actually think they are experts.

[TussAgee11]

They don't need to be in the booth all the time, just available for quick interview. Thats what the USGA does with David Fay. Rules question? Fay enters the telecast, explains the ruling, and answers any follow ups the announcers may have.

Each sport is a bit different, but I could imagine football penalty enforcement being a stingy issue for a fan. But for judgment calls, fans don't want to hear it. Their mind is made up.