Jeff Triplette has resigned as president of the NFL Referees Association, the group announced on Friday. Triplette will replaced as president by Tony Steratore, another longtime NFL referee.
Jeff Triplette resigns as NFL Referees Association president
Triplette has been the head of the organization for more than a decade, but will be stepping out of the role in 2017.
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Triplette joined the league as a field judge in 1996 and became a full-fledged referee in 1999. He is notable for having led the negotiations during the 2012 referee lockout.
“I have truly enjoyed being part of the leadership of this great organization,” Triplette said in a statement. “I am proud that I was able to fight to protect the rights and interests of our members for the last 15 years. However, the conclusion of this season seemed like the right time for me to step aside and allow others to step up and lead the Union.”
Triplette, like most long-time NFL officials, has drawn plenty of criticism for questionable calls over the years. Notably, in 2015, he incorrectly announced a pair of penalties that were eventually corrected by other referees, not because he missed a call, but because he misinterpreted or misunderstood the rules.
That’s been the biggest criticism of him thus far. Every official misses calls and makes mistakes, but Triplette’s have come in enforcing rules incorrectly, and that will be something remembered for a long time.
It’s unclear if Triplette will be retiring as an NFL referee, but there is no indication that this is the case at this time. Steratore has been the NFLRA vice president for years and will move on to lead the organization. Umpire Carl Paganelli will take over the vice president position within the organization.
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