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FAA Ground Stop Prompts NFL Officiating Changes

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FAA Ground Stop Prompts NFL Officiating Changes

51 sourcesUpdated Nov 15, 20261 min read

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FAA Ground Stop Prompts NFL Officiating Changes — Photo: Pixabay / Wikimedia Commons (Pexels)

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The NFL changed several Week 10 officiating assignments after Friday’s nationwide FAA ground stop disrupted air travel, moving officials to games they could reach by driving. Backup officials Duane Heydt and Barry Anderson will referee Panthers–Saints and Jaguars–Titans, respectively. Side judge Don Willard will referee both Dolphins–Colts and Steelers–Bengals, driving about 110 miles from Indianapolis to Cincinnati; reports described the double assignment as unprecedented. The league said each of its 17 crews has a designated backup referee who trains for the role, and that other Week 10 assignments are unchanged.

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Nov 13, 2026Nov 15, 2026

Nov 15, 2026NFL reassigned Week 10 officials after nationwide air-travel disruption from FAA ground stop.
Nov 15, 2026UPS Boeing 767 and Copa Airlines Boeing 737 made contact while taxiing at Miami International Airport amid ongoing FAA disruptions.
Nov 14, 2026FAA ground stop moves up Kansas-WWV kickoff two hours.

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FAA Ground Stop Puts College Game Kickoffs in Doubt

A nationwide FAA ground stop tied to air-traffic communications problems disrupted college football travel: Auburn switched to a bus, Texas faced delays before its LSU game, and Washington remained grounded in Seattle ahead of its matchup with Michigan State. Alabama was unaffected because its team had already planned to travel by bus.

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