What is a pool report?
The NFL has a process in place in which the head official must answer questions pertaining to certain calls made in a game.
That process takes place after the game, but must be triggered by a media member asking for it.
If no one asks for a pool report, the league doesn’t have to give one nor make the official available for questioning.
And for some odd reason, not one reporter asked for a pool report after the Kansas City Chiefs controversial 32-29 win over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC championship, that included a critical fourth-down spot that tilted the game in the fourth quarter.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio investigated why no one had wanted to question the officiating after the game, given some of the controversial calls.
“As explained on Monday, none of the reporters covering the game in person asked for a pool report,” Florio said.
“Which is of course causing some to believe that the reporters are in on the effort to cover up the effort to help the Chiefs.
“Which is ludicrous — but it’s also impossible to tell people to stop believing that which they firmly believe.”
Florio took it a step further, and asked the league to explain in detail what the process is for a pool report to be triggered.
League spokesperson Michael Signora explained the process thoroughly.
“A media member at the game can request a pool report to make inquiries about rules interpretations,” Signora said.
“When that occurs, the media member tells one of the pool reporters assigned by the Pro Football Writers of America that they are requesting a pool report and what the subject is.
“The PFWA assigns pool reporters for each team from their local media contingent, so there are always several at every game.
“The home club communications director is informed, since they will need to distribute the transcript, and I am informed, so I can let the referee know what the subject of the interview will be.”
Florio argued that there should have been a pool report regardless if anyone had asked for it or not.
“In this case, there absolutely should have been a pool report,” Florio said.
“Even though one of the reporters at the game must affirmatively request it, the league should have realized that, in this specific case, transparency in the explanation of the mechanics of the call and its outcome were critical.”
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Florio is correct in that a pool report should have been provided regardless if it was requested or not, simply due to the nature of the controversial calls in one of the biggest games of the year.
Without it, the league has left the door open for fans to speculate and come up with wild conspiracies on how not only are the referees on the Chiefs’ side, but now so are the reporters.
Ridiculous claims that shouldn’t require a pool report.
But in this case, and for the sake of all the discourse surrounding the officiating, it would have been nice to hear from head official, Clete Blakeman.
The NFL will be hoping Super Bowl LIX won’t require a pool report, but the way this postseason has gone so far, expect a controversial call or two that must be answered for after the big game.
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