Referee Bill Vinovich’s Super Bowl crew to include record number of African-Americans
Super Bowl LIV will make history in many ways, and that includes the most diverse officiating crew in Super Bowl history.
Sunday’s list of officials includes five African-Americans, a new high for the big game.
Tonight’s #SBLIV Officials for #ChiefsKingdom vs #49ers:
Referee: Bill Vinovich (#52)
Umpire: Barry Anderson (#20)
Down Judge: Kent Payne (#79)
Line Judge: Carl Johnson (#101)
Field Judge: Michael Banks (#72)
Side Judge: Boris Cheek (#41)
Back Judge: Greg Steed (#12)
— Jake Ostern (@JakeOstern) February 2, 2020
History: Five African-Americans will be on-field officials for today’s Super Bowl. The previous high? Three: “They earned it,” a league official said. @nfl @NFLGameDay @nflnetwork @49ers @Chiefs
— Steve Wyche (@wyche89) February 2, 2020
The NFL does pick Super Bowl officials on merit, so it’s good to see so many African-American officials doing their jobs at a high level.
While the diversity angle is worth celebrating, the appointment of Vinovich was not without controversy. It was his crew that blew a major call in last year’s NFC Championship, and he’ll be hoping to avoid a high-profile repeat on Sunday.
