Roger Goodell 'Amazed' by NFL Referees' Performances, Wants to Use AI to Help Officials

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is happy with the state of the league's officiating heading into Sunday's Super Bowl.

"I'm amazed at how good our officials are," he told reporters on Monday, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

While Goodell is satisfied with NFL referees, he also hopes to use artificial intelligence to help them and offer them supplemental tools. He added that he wants to work to prevent "the obvious error" with such technology.

The NFL has already begun using technology to aid its officials. The league announced last spring plans to begin using a camera-based measurement system to measure first downs, using Sony's Hawk-Eye technology "as the primary method for measuring the line to gain" during the 2025 NFL campaign.

The tech uses six 8K cameras to track the ball and determine whether a player reached the line to gain. The NFL started using the new system in August.

The league is also using AI in other ways, including technology that looks to prevent injuries and keep players healthy. The NFL introduced Digital Athlete last offseason, "an injury prediction tool that leverages data and artificial intelligence to help clubs keep players healthy and performing at their best on the field."

The technology evaluates game tape and data from training, running through "millions of simulations" to determine plays and moments that pose a high risk of injury.

"All 32 clubs have access to the Digital Athlete team portal, which includes daily training volume and injury risk information for their team, as well as league-wide trends and benchmarks," the NFL wrote in a statement. "Coaches and training staff use the information to develop individualized injury prevention, training and recovery regimens for players."

While Goodell believes the league's officiating is in a good spot, there's always room for improvement. In the era of AI, harnessing it to aid officials as they try to be as accurate as possible could pay dividends.