Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
Tensions between players and officiating crews peaked during and after the Patriots-Ravens game of Dec. 4, 2007. Ravens linebacker Bart Scott threw an official's flag following a disputed call late in the game. Afterward, Ravens cornerback Samari Rolle accused head linesman Phil McKinnely of calling him "boy" during an on-field confrontation.
The league is addressing the situation by listing "mutual respect" as a point of emphasis for the 2008 season. Officiating director Mike Pereira described the initiative as a two-way street, meaning he'll hold accountable officials as well as players. Pereira said he would fire an official for using a racial or sexual-orientation slur during a confrontation.
"We had a group of officials come to Indianapolis and meet with a group of players and say, 'Where have we gotten in terms of respect, player to player, player to offical?'" Pereira said. "Everyone on the field would agree that we have had a drop-off and everybody would agree that both sides are at fault and we have to make a concerted effort to respect each other and work with each other and not get into these situations where it gets to be demeaning.
"From our standpoint, this means we're going to spend more time at training camps talking to players, more time before the games talking to players, more time trying to get involved before it gets to a point that it gets out of hand," Pereira said.
The league will even monitor what head coaches say to officials, although a coach would have to deliver "a direct f-bomb shot" for an official to assess a 15-yard penalty, Pereira said.
