Gene Steratore of index card fame will referee Super Bowl LII
The Dez Bryant non-catch. The index card measurement. And now Super Bowl LII for Gene Steratore.
The NFL has announced that the 54-year-old referee will get the assignment for the Feb. 4 contest at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Steratore will be quite familiar with the location: He just finished refereeing the Minnesota Vikings’ walk-off win over the New Orleans Saints on Jan. 14.
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Steratore, who has been refereeing NFL games since 2003 as well as NCAA basketball games since 1995, has been at the center of a couple of controversial calls over the past few seasons, most notably the Dez Bryant no catch against the Green Bay Packers in the 2015 playoffs. Steratore overturned what had been ruled a Bryant touchdown, deeming the ball hit the ground before Bryant completed the catch.
In Week 15 of this season, Steratore controversially used an index card to award the Dallas Cowboys a first down against the Oakland Raiders. Following the game, Steratore explained that the card was used simply to reaffirm that the measurement was good enough for a first down.
This will be Steratore’s first Super Bowl. He will be joined by umpire Roy Ellison, down judge Jerry Bergman, line judge Byron Boston, field judge Tom Hill, side judge Scott Edwards and back judge Perry Paganello.
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