SEC not planning to comment...Saban praises officiating (merged)

1) Do you think Saban would be singing their praises if a couple of wrong calls went against him and Bama lost the game?

2) I thing the following link does a pretty good job of describing the process they use to critique themselves.

Marc Curles, the Southeastern Conference referee who made a controversial call in the Arkansas-Florida game, apologizes for his mistake - ESPN

Good post, VolDad. Especially the article link. Thanks. I've read it before and it was worth reading again.

To anwer your questions:

1) He might. I hope he would. Les Miles did. Kudos to him for it.

2) I agree and it does much more too. It's a great article. It's long but well worth reading every word of it. I think it would do everyone who's hating on SEC officiating and thinking there is intentionally biased officiating going on some good to read it all. So I've posted the whole thing below:

SEC ref: 'I know I made a mistake'Marc Curles, who blew the call in the Arkansas-Florida game, owns up to the boo-boo.
By Mike Fish
ESPN.com

The passionate Arkansas Razorbacks faithful and vocal Gator haters won't let up about his call. They've dialed his home and office phones. They've blitzed him with inflammatory e-mail messages. They've accused him of being a crooked ref, a gambler, some even suggesting the bigwigs back at the Southeastern Conference office were behind the controversial fourth-quarter calls -- particularly his fourth-quarter call -- that factored into Arkansas' 23-20 loss at No. 1 Florida on Saturday.

Marc Curles, the SEC ref who makes his living as a Birmingham, Ala.-based financial planner, would laugh it all off, all the abuse … if he didn't hurt so much.

On the other end of the phone line Wednesday, Curles sounds like a man in serious pain. Yet, there is no dodging and weaving. No abrupt hang-up or litany of well-rehearsed excuses. Instead, the Georgia Tech grad readily concedes he screwed up and says no one will be harder on him than Curles is on himself.

"I understand people are passionate about their teams," Curles says softly. "Like I said, we sign up for this. I admit I made a mistake in this ballgame. I deserve a little bit of people getting on me. I am getting on myself.

"From a personal viewpoint, I don't need to hear what folks say, because I know if I made a mistake. And no one feels worse than I do. I have to evaluate myself. We are our own worst critics at times. All the media, the message boards and things like that, I honestly don't listen to them too much. Just don't listen to them, don't read them."

The SEC officiating crew that Curles heads up has been on the hot seat since a controversial excessive celebration call three weeks ago late in the LSU-Georgia game, a flag thrown by the back judge that the conference office later said wasn't warranted. Then Saturday, Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino left Gainesville livid about a handful of controversial calls and no-calls that seemed to favor the Gators.

Most perplexing was a 10-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Arkansas defensive lineman Malcolm Sheppard that helped fuel Florida's game-tying drive in the fourth quarter. That flag came from Curles' pocket.

Again, as in the LSU-Georgia game, the SEC office came forward and admitted a mistake had been made. In a statement released early this week, the league said it had found no video evidence to support the personal foul penalty.

Late Wednesday afternoon, the SEC removed Curles' crew from its next assignment on Oct. 31. It won't officiate another game until Nov. 14, and the series of questionable calls might have an impact on the crew's eligibility for postseason bowl assignments, according to a league statement.

"A series of calls that have occurred during the last several weeks have not been to the standard that we expect from our officiating crews," SEC commissioner Mike Slive said in the statement. "I believe our officiating program is the best in the country; however, there are times when these actions must be taken. … While only a few calls have been identified, the entire crew shoulders responsibility for each play. I have taken this action because there must be accountability in our officiating program. Our institutions expect the highest level of officiating in all of our sports and it is the duty of the conference office to uphold that expectation."

This weekend, Curles, a father of two, will be at home with his daughters. Curles says it is a regularly scheduled off week for his crew. The conference has eight officiating crews, and each gets breaks during the season. Crews typically stay intact during the season, but substitutions are made in cases where a crew member attended one of the universities he's been assigned to officiate.

"Quite frankly, I knew that I had made a mistake," he says of what he saw on tape. What he had seen on the field only a few hours earlier, in front of a national TV audience and 90,000-plus packed into The Swamp for Florida's homecoming, was quite different.

"I saw out of the corner of my eye -- the play went over near the sideline," Curles recalls. "I'm trailing the play, moving in that direction. And out of the corner of my eye, I see a vicious blow, and I see the Florida player go flying down 20 yards behind the play. And in my mind, the Arkansas guy had blindsided him and knocked the player that was completely out of the play, which would have been a personal foul. Obviously, that isn't what happened. Where I made the mistake is I didn't see the whole thing. I didn't see how it developed. I saw out of the corner of my eye what I thought was a foul. I can't think something is a foul. I got to know it is. And that was my mistake. And I know better than that. What makes me mad at myself is that I know better than to call something if I didn't see the whole thing. And I've been sick about it ever since, quite frankly.

"I've just been thinking about it, replaying it and beating [myself] up over the call. I guess where our true character is found is in how we handle it and what we do the next time. Are we able to recover from it? We try to find a lesson to learn in every game -- me individually and as a crew. Could somebody else have seen something and come to me and said, 'Wait a minute, I saw that happen, and this is what it looked like to me'? That didn't happen, but this is a way for us to talk about it as a crew."

Petrino complained about several calls in a conversation Monday with SEC supervisor of officials Rogers Redding. On Wednesday, Petrino declined comment on Curles' admission and version of his call, saying through a spokesman that he was busy preparing his team for Saturday's game against Mississippi. Redding didn't respond to a phone message Wednesday.

Curles isn't searching for excuses, although he acknowledges he had nowhere to turn in making his split-second judgment. No one on his crew, apparently, had a different or better view of the play; or if someone did, he didn't speak up. And the play wasn't reviewable, so he couldn't join the TV talking heads and millions of viewers in seeing the error.

"They really judge us on our whole body of work," Curles says about the league's review process. "I've been in the conference five years. One call does not determine whether somebody is a good official or not. Unfortunately, we're human. The expectation from the general public, and quite frankly ourselves, is we're perfect every game. We want to get it perfect. But we're human, and it doesn't always happen. We make mistakes."

Officiating is a seasonal gig, but Curles says he and other officials put time and effort into the job, most of it rehashing previous games and learning from mistakes. Not only did his crew watch video snippets Saturday night of the Arkansas-Florida game, but -- as is the case every Sunday -- Curles and the seven other SEC referees participated in a conference call with their boss. He'll review the Arkansas-Florida game again with his crew the Friday night before their next game.

Curles says he'll apologize for his mistake and its negative reflection on the crew during that meeting. Unlike the rabid fans, they'll no doubt understand that he's human and, like all of us, prone to error from time to time.

"I have gotten 50 or 60 e-mails just in the last two to three days," he says. "At work. I had about a half-dozen voice messages on my home phone when I got home Sunday. I have gotten phone calls [at work]. People are passionate about their teams, and I understand that. We kind of know what we are getting into when we do this. But some of things they say -- think about what you are saying. Saying I should be investigated for gambling. Saying I should be ashamed of myself. Saying the conference is pulling the strings.

"If people could just understand there is a human element to it. Hey, I am trying my dead-level best. I am getting e-mail from folks accusing me of being on the take, all this kind of thing. We are absolutely trying to get it perfect every time. And nobody feels worse than we do when it doesn't happen."
 
The link was already there....it is a mazing that you feel the need to post the entire article as if people can not click on it in the above post
Go away!
 
The link was already there....it is a mazing that you feel the need to post the entire article as if people can not click on it in the above post
Go away!
Lots of posters don't bother to click on links.

Did you read the article? What are your thoughts about the article and the great SEC officiating conspiracy?
 
Lots of posters don't bother to click on links.

Did you read the article? What are your thoughts about the article and the great SEC officiating conspiracy?

He told you his thoughts in his two final words. I don't think it was complicated.
Posted via VolNation Mobile
 
He told you his thoughts in his two final words. I don't think it was complicated.
Posted via VolNation Mobile
Obviously I can read, BigPapaVol, and so can T-TownVol. He can obviously speak for himself as well. T-TownVol said he was an official for twenty years, so I was particularly interested in his thoughts about that article and the SEC officiating conspiracy theory mindset that's rampant on VolNation and elsewhere.

Assuming you read the entire article, I'd be interested to hear what your thoughts are about it as well. Do you think that official is lying in that article and was actually either on his own or as part of a conspiracy trying to make sure that LSU beat UGA and the Gators beat Arkansas?
 
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Obviously I can read, BigPapaVol, and so can T-TownVol. He can obviously speak for himself as well. T-TownVol said he was an official for twenty years, so I was particularly interested in his thoughts about that article and the SEC officiating conspiracy theory stuff that's running rampant on VolNation and elsewhere.

Assuming you read the entire article, I'd be interested to hear what your thoughts are about it as well. Do you think that official is lying in that article and was actually either on his own or as part of a conspiracy trying to make sure that LSU beat UGA and the Gators beat Arkansas?

Every time I hear that the NCAA is investigating Bama I hear Bama fans claiming that there is a conspiracy. Am I correct to assume you post that image on your board when you read such absurdities?
 
Every time I hear that the NCAA is investigating Bama I hear Bama fans claiming that there is a conspiracy. Am I correct to assume you post that image on your board when you read such absurdities?
It gets posted every time those idiots start that NCAA = National Coalition Against Alabama whining. Believe me, I can't begin to describe how PO'd things like the Albert Means and Jene Jelks scandals made me. Then for UA to be almost out of probation from that crap and be so sloppy about something as simple as properly monitoring scholarship textbook distribution made my blood boil. But to blame those things on the NCAA for having it in for Bama is ridiculous. I do admit that I feel like the NCAA was a too harsh by adding the vacating of wins punishment on top of the player suspensions and fines. Precedents don't support that. But we've already been through all of this ad nauseum on VN so let me just get back to reaffirming my answer to your question. Yes, that pic has been posted many many times on TideSports in response to conspiracy theories. The more popular posts nowadays though seem to be pics of black helicopters.
 
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I do admit that I feel like the NCAA was a too harsh by adding the vacating of wins punishment on top of the player suspensions and fines. Precedents don't support that

Wasn't bama still on probation when the textbook scandal hit?

I'd say bama was damn lucky they didn't get the Death Penalty, making those vacated wins look like they went very easy on them.

More on UA's textbook appeal: NCAA Committee on Infractions tagged UA as a 'serial repeat violator' with an 'abysmal' record | The Bama Beat - al.com

Also, when the Means thing hit, wasn't bama still under probation from a 1999 major violation? I think bama has been extremely lucky in only losing a couple seasons worth of wins...
 
So you think officials should not be at least occasionally shown some love for dedication, hard work and doing a good job of something that is very difficult, especially when the mistakes they make are so heavily scrutinized and visciously publicized?

Wow!

The officials have been under a microscope this year, not because coaches criticized them but because of their poor performance on the field. The criticism they've received from coaches this year in almost every case has been deserved.

The officials deserve no love for this season as they have performed horribly and have really let the conference down. We would not be having this conversation if the officiating had been anywhere close to competent. The fact that we are tells you there is a problem, whether you want to believe it or not is irrelevant, you choose to keep your head in the sand.
 
@ HawaiiVol: Bama's probably going to have to live with the vacating of wins punishement because I don't think Bama will win the appeal. The NCAA's initial response to the appeal was pretty much "Not no, but **** no!"

Anyway we shouldn't get any further off-topic. This thread is about SEC officiating concerns.
 
Obviously I can read, BigPapaVol, and so can T-TownVol. He can obviously speak for himself as well. T-TownVol said he was an official for twenty years, so I was particularly interested in his thoughts about that article and the SEC officiating conspiracy theory mindset that's rampant on VolNation and elsewhere.

Assuming you read the entire article, I'd be interested to hear what your thoughts are about it as well. Do you think that official is lying in that article and was actually either on his own or as part of a conspiracy trying to make sure that LSU beat UGA and the Gators beat Arkansas?

I have no desire to have a dialog with you. You assume that it is your job to make sure all us dumb UT fans can see an article that has already been linked. Your arrogance is disgusting to me.
 
I have no desire to have a dialog with you. You assume that it is your job to make sure all us dumb UT fans can see an article that has already been linked. Your arrogance is disgusting to me.
I did not say or even imply that posters not bothering to click on or read articles that might enlighten them is a problem exclusive to VolNation. That problem exists on other forums, including Bama fan forums. BTW, you're the one doing the assuming.
 
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I did not say or even imply that posters not bothering to click on or read articles that might enlighten them is a problem exclusive to VolNation. That problem exists on other forums, including Bama fan forums. BTW, you're the one doing the assuming.

The fact that you think it is your job or duty to "enlighten" any one, is pathetic. This is doubled by the fact that you are obviously trolling on many sites.
 
The fact that you think it is your job or duty to "enlighten" any one, is pathetic. This is doubled by the fact that you are obviously trolling on many sites.
You not only presume to know what I think and and do, you state your assumptions to be facts. Nothing I have posted on this forum or any other is as pathetic your doing that.

Just to set you straight, I do not think it is my job or duty to enlighten anyone. I post mostly on TideSports, but also post some on VolNation and the TigerDroppings SEC Rant forum.

You have made it quite clear several times that you simply cannot bear for me to post information or opinions that you do not want to see, read or hear. You've even ordered me to leave VolNation. Nothing I have posted on this forum or any other is as pathetic your doing that.

On VolNation, I post information and my opinions, just like other posters do, whether they are Vols fans or not. If it is because my posts include opinions that differ from that of a lot of Vols fans or if it is simply because I am a Bama fan that makes you call me a "troll" then so be it.

The bottom line is this: Unless I break the forum rules to the extent that I deserve to be banned, then I have as much right to post information and my opinions on this forum as you do. If you're too insecure to handle information and opinions that you don't like or agree with, maybe it's you that should leave.

:hi:
 
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He is like the kid that is always chosen last but tells everyone how important he is to the team.
 
On VolNation, I post information and my opinions, just like other posters do, whether they are Vols fans or not. If it is because my posts include opinions that differ from that of a lot of Vols fans or if it is simply because I am a Bama fan that makes you call me a "troll" then so be it.

The bottom line is this: Unless I break the forum rules to the extent that I deserve to be banned, then I have as much right to post information and my opinions on this forum as you do. If you're too insecure to handle information and opinions that you don't like or agree with, maybe it's you that should leave.

:hi:

do yourself a favor.

Troll (Internet) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts controversial, inflammatory, irrelevant, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room or blog, with the primary intent of provoking other users into an emotional response[1] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.
 
The only people that have said it was a good call are officials and Alabama sympathizers and coaches. Not surprised. Even every talk show on ESPN (Around the Horn, PTI, ect.) called this BS. Not that I'm saying they are always right (they aren't) but when everyone besides those that benefit from something this erroneous and blatantly wrong claim something is amiss, you tend to think it is.

Besides the fact that I watched it with my own eyes, and it's obvious he got AT LEAST one foot in with possession. And in NCAA, that's a catch, my friend.

But really... no more quotes from Alabama, Florida or the SEC. That's like only asking Obama, Pilosi and Clinton to debate the health care bill. (And I know how much people in Alabama hate the Democrats ;) )
 
Thanks for posting that definition, kev20. Consider that T-TownVol's post #167 above is (in the words of that troll definition) indeed inflammatory, irrelevant, and off-topic, with the primary intent of provoking another user (me) into an emotional response, disrupting normal on-topic discussion. Looks like that definition of a troll describes him (and many other Vols fans on VN) as well if not better than it does me.
 
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