Fansided

Ed Hochuli doesn’t think referees should be full time employees

By Andrew Melnick

Dec 30 2012; Denver, CO, USA; NFL referee Ed Hochuli (85) during the game between the Kansas City Chiefs against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field. The Broncos defeated the Chiefs 38-3Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30 2012; Denver, CO, USA; NFL referee Ed Hochuli (85) during the game between the Kansas City Chiefs against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field. The Broncos defeated the Chiefs 38-3Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 30 2012; Denver, CO, USA; NFL referee Ed Hochuli (85) during the game between the Kansas City Chiefs against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field. The Broncos defeated the Chiefs 38-3Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30 2012; Denver, CO, USA; NFL referee Ed Hochuli (85) during the game between the Kansas City Chiefs against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field. The Broncos defeated the Chiefs 38-3Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

NFL referees have fought for several rights over the year (we all remember the highly publicized lockout of last season). One thing several officials have fought for is for officials to become full time employees of the NFL.

Referee Ed Hochuli doesn’t see the point in making referees full time employees, because he wouldn’t put any more time into his job.

“I am a full-time official,” Hochuli told 60 Minutes Sports via Pro Football Talk. “I’m as full-time as the coaches or the players or anybody could be. If they said, ‘Ed, you can’t be a lawyer anymore, you can only do this,’ there’s nothing else that I could do.”

Several referees like Hochuli, who is a lawyer, work other jobs.

Of course comparing his hours to the hours of a coach seems a little strange and it’s probably easy for Hochuli, who Pro Football Talk says makes $200,000 a year.

Clearly, money isn’t much of a problem for NFL officials whether they are full time or not.

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