via NFL.com
The NFL has done it, according to FootballZebras.com. They have gone and fired Hugo Cruz, a down judge who was once featured in an inspirational Hispanic Heritage Month video from NFL.com. That’s right, the NFL has gone and fired a ref for poor performance. Granted it’s not Ed Hochuli’s son getting fired for his disastrous performance during Sunday’s Browns game where he claimed a quarterback could be hit in the head by an opponent’s helmet because he’s a runner.
Instead, it was Cruz getting canned and he’s officially on the unemployed ref list.
From FootballZebras.com:
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. He was assigned to Brad Allen’s crew in Week 6 when a crucial missed false start call should have nullified a Chargers touchdown (or, more accurately, the play would have been shut down long before that).
The website adds that previous to Cruz getting canned, only two refs have been fired over the last 10 years. Now we can only hope that Hochuli Jr. is the fourth over the last 10 years.
How big of a deal is it to lose a job as an NFL ref? Take a look at these salary numbers via Time.com:
via NFL.comThe average NFL referee salary was $173,000 in 2013, and it is set to rise to $201,000 by 2019. Note that the NFL season only lasts about half the year, and for most NFL referees, refereeing is not their only job.
In addition to their base compensation, the referees got to keep their existing defined-benefit pension plan through the 2016 season or 20 years of service. After that, the league is moving to a defined-contribution 401(k) plan. It’s pretty generous, with an annual deposit of $18,000, and a partial matching contribution.
