While the NFL tabled discussion about a potential expansion of the officiating staff to include a ‘sky judge’ role that would allow an in-game official to consult with the on-field referees with the benefit of video review that he can use, the idea is far from dead.
“There was some discussion about, and there were some proposals about adding a so-called sky judge, which some of the coaches are strongly in favor of”, Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II recently told the team’s website. The owners were willing to listen to the coaches last year, so strong support from the team’s coaches could help this effort as well.