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The Hidden Officiating Crisis: How the NFL’s Problems Trickle Down to Youth Sports

Justin Harrison was sitting on his couch at home Gainesville when NFL referees blew the call in the Saints-Rams playoff game in January. His heart sank.

Here we go, he thought.

Harrison isn’t a Saints fan. He supervises the officials in the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA). He’s done that job for nearly eight years. And he knows that when there’s a controversial decision in the NFL, he gets calls and emails from around the state, complaining about his refs.

“It’s whenever there’s more complaining about the pro level,” Harrison says.