NFL Down Judge Hugo Cruz Fired for Poor Performance

The NFL has fired one of its down judges, Hugo Cruz, for poor performance.

NFL Referees Association Executive Director Scott Green confirmed the firing to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, calling the decision "reckless."

Football Zebras, a website that analyzes the performances of NFL referees, first reported the firing.

That report cited seven sources with "firsthand knowledge of the situation," noting that a missed false start call in a Week 6 game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Cleveland Browns was the final straw for the league. 

In that game, Cruz missed a blatant false start by the Chargers. On the ensuing play that should have been whistled dead before it began, Philip Rivers threw a touchdown pass. 

Per the report:

"One of the sources confirmed that Cruz was not 'maintaining a very high level of performance over a sustained period,' while another told Football Zebras in March that Cruz's future with the league was already in jeopardy. This is partially borne out by his lack of postseason assignments for the two seasons he would have qualified for, not counting assignment as an alternate last season. Another oddity that our sources could not find a reason for was that Cruz was assigned to a different crew for 3 of the 6 regular season games he has worked this year."

The report noted the NFL has never fired an official midseason during the Super Bowl era, instead fining or suspending them for poor performance. Generally, officials are simply not brought back for another season if their performance is subpar. And Football Zebras added that just two officials have been outright fired in the past 10 years, making any dismissal notable. 

Cruz joined the NFL in 2015 after being recruited from Conference USA, where he officiated for five years. He also worked as a minor-league umpire in the past. 

On the missed call in question, Cruz was lined up behind Chargers offensive tackle Russell Okung, who clearly left his stance well before the ball was snapped, to the point that defensive end Myles Garrett paused and pointed at Okung, expecting a call.

Instead, Rivers found Tyrell Williams for a 29-yard score. After the game, Browns head coach Hue Jackson said one of the officials, who wasn't responsible for making the call, admitted that a false start should have been given on the play.

"Yep. Yep. Missed it. Yeah, I was told they missed it," he told reporters. "Was very honest on my side. It sure wasn't the guy on the other side. It was definitely the guy on my side. That was [a false start]."