Referee Who Called Roughing The Passer On Tom Brady Has A History Of Being Terrible
The NFL world has been on fire since Tom Brady was granted a soft roughing the passer call on Sunday. The call, made by veteran referee Jerome Boger, came at the expense of Atlanta Falcons defensive end Grady Jarrett and essentially handed the Tampa Buccaneers a victory.
After the game, reporters asked Boger about the call and he stood by his decision.
"What I had was the defender grabbed the quarterback while he was still in the pocket and unnecessarily throwing him to the ground," Boger said. "That is what I was making my decision based upon."
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This is not nearly the first time people have criticized Boger for his work. The NFL has even punished him for being bad at this job. So why does he continue to be employed?
NFL referee Jerome Boger, who called roughing the passer against Grady Jarrett on Tom Brady, has a history of being bad at his job. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Not even Jerome Boger's only bad roughing the passer call THIS MONTH
The call on Sunday was egregious, but it wasn't even the first critical and questionable roughing the passer call that he has made this season.
During a crucial Week 4 matchup between AFC powerhouses, the Bills and Ravens, Baltimore defensive back Brandon Stephens hit Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen hard. Hit hard and roughing the passer are two very different things. Boger threw a flag after Allen tossed up his arms and asked for the call.
The play came on a first-and-15 for the Bills with just 2:03 left in the game. Allen's pass fell incomplete and should have brought up a second-and-15 from the Ravens' 41-yard line. The Bills were outside of field goal range in a tie game.
But Boger's flag immediately moved Buffalo into scoring position and gave the Bills a first down. The call ultimately allowed them to kick a short field goal as time expired to win the game. CBS officiating analyst Gene Steratore, himself a longtime NFL referee, criticized the call.
NFL has punished Boger for poor officiating
Lest you think Jerome Boger's bad calls are only criticized by people on Twitter, let us tell you that even his employer has taken issue with his work.
Boger and his crew worked the Bengals-Raiders AFC Wild Card game last season. Controversial calls marred the contest throughout.
There was this disaster of a call that allowed the Bengals to score a touchdown.
And what kind of Jerome Boger game would it be without a questionable roughing the passer penalty?
Those are two of the more egregious examples, but there were plenty more in that game alone. How bad was the officiating? Boger and his crew were BENCHED for the remainder of the postseason.
How does he still have a job?
If you type Jerome Boger into Twitter or Google news or any other site, you will be bombarded with his gaffes throughout the years.
He has been an NFL official since 2004 (!) and refereed Super Bowl XLVII, which was the infamous "Harbaugh Bowl" between John's Ravens and Jim's 49ers that featured a blackout when all the lights in the stadium turned off.
Even then, there were questions about Boger. Anonymous officials complained that the NFL selected Boger based on favoritism and not on merit. Said one official, " shouldn't even be eligible for the game. Everybody basically knows what's happening. You see when grades appear, and when grades mysteriously disappear. Any incorrect call or missed call will disappear for no reason at all."
Officials claimed that Boger had eight "downgrades" -- essentially incorrect calls -- mysteriously reversed in that 2012-13 season.
There is no clear answer as to why the NFL continues to have Boger officiating games. He has proven time and time again that he is not good at his job. In fact, the league's credibility takes a hit every time one of his bad calls impact the outcome of a game.
The NFL has a Jerome Boger problem, whether they are willing to admit it or not.