Scot Tucker / AP
Referee Bill Vinovich blows a whistle during an NFL football game, Monday, Dec. 25, 2023, in Santa Clara, Calif.
Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024 | 1:36 p.m.
NEW YORK — Veteran referee Bill Vinovich will lead the officiating crew for the Super Bowl next month in Las Vegas.
The NFL announced Tuesday that Vinovich will work his third Super Bowl and be joined by a crew that includes umpire Terry Killens, down judge Patrick Holt, line judge Mark Perlman, field judge Tom Hill, side judge Allen Baynes, back judge Brad Freeman and replay official Mike Chase.
Killens will become the first person to both play in and officiate a Super Bowl. Killens made one tackle on special teams for the Tennessee Titans against the St. Louis Rams on Jan. 30, 2000.
The league selects officials on merit for the Super Bowl, so Vinovich isn’t working with his regular crew. Vinovich was the referee for a controversial call in the NFC championship game in January 2019.
Los Angeles Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman should have been flagged for defensive pass interference and a helmet-to-helmet penalty on New Orleans Saints wide receiver Tommylee Lewis late in the fourth quarter of a game the Rams won in overtime.
The league later acknowledge the blown non-call and changed rules for one season, allowing teams to challenge pass-interference penalties.
