To strengthen the leadership officiating team, the NFL added veteran officials Mark Butterworth and Ramon George to help improve their ongoing Officiating Improvement Plan.
Butterworth, who has worked in NFL replay booths for the past 25 seasons, has been named vice president of replay training and development. George, who spent the past eight seasons as an umpire, will come off the field to become the League’s vice president of officiating training and development. Both Butterworth and George will report to Senior Vice President of Officiating Administration Perry Fewell, according to the NFL.
Former on-field officials Gary Arthur and Fred Bryan join the officiating staff as officiating coordinator coaches, while Tom Hill, who concluded a 25-year NFL officiating career as the field judge in Super Bowl LVIII, will serve as an officiating trainer.
“As part of our ongoing Officiating Improvement Plan, we have added these veteran officials who understand the game from the field up and what it takes to improve and sustain officiating long term as a center of excellence,” said Fewell. “When we improve training and development, we aim for better consistency, game efficiency, accuracy, accountability, and communication across all levels of game administration.”
The NFL said Butterworth has spent the past seven seasons working as a replay official, and prior to that served as a replay assistant and replay communicator. In his new role, he will be responsible for making instant replay-related decisions on game days from the League’s officiating center in New York, Art McNally GameDay Central.
In addition, Butterworth will oversee the training and development of all replay personnel, ensuring consistency of communication. He will also develop and implement pipeline programming to identify future officials, as well as expand educational and developmental tools.
George began his NFL officiating career in 2016, entering the League from Conference USA, and has officiated in six playoff games, including the AFC Championship Games in the 2020 and 2022 seasons. His final game last season was the AFC Wild Card contest between the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs.
George will now be responsible for the training and development of all game officials, including oversight of officiating position coaches. He will implement and grow specific programs for game officials transitioning into the League, as well as ensuring a robust program for recruiting new officials. Arthur concluded his 23-year career in 2019, working 18 playoff games, including as the line judge in Super Bowl XLVI.
Bryan spent 15 seasons as an NFL official, working 12 playoff games, including Super Bowls LIII and LV. As coordinator coaches, Arthur and Bryan will focus on working with game officials on communication, mechanics, and the application of the playing rules, including specialized training based on position and areas of need.
Hill will provide guidance and oversight on training and developing current and potential NFL officials, furthering relationships with college officiating coordinators in an effort to increase collaboration in the areas of training and development.
Joseph Phillips is the Sports Editor for the Chicago Crusader Newspaper. He is a Chicago native, who has been a sports writer for over 17 years. He also hosts the SC Media News and Sports Network Q&A radio show on WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago.
