The NFL has been left with a referee shortage for the second straight off-season after two more departures from its officiating crew were confirmed.
Twelve officials have retired or left the NFL since the end of last season, the highest number since 14 left in 2013, with Mike Weatherford and Mike Dolce the latest to depart, according to Football Zebras. The reasons for their exits have not been disclosed.
The NFL has already hired 12 new officials, meaning there will be new faces on several officiating crews when the new season begins in September.
It is the second straight year the NFL has had to deal with double-digit departures after 10 officials left in 2022, making it just the second time 10 or more have left in consecutive years after it happened in 2002 and 2003.
Jerome Boger is the most prominent official to call time on his career this off-season. He spent 19 years as an official and 16 as a referee, working seven playoff games and he was in charge of Super Bowl XLVII between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers when a lengthy power outage threatened to curtail the game.
Weatherford, an oil and gas executive in his day job, spent 21 seasons in the NFL, working as both a field judge and a side judge. He worked one Super Bowl and two Pro Bowls.
Dolce, however, spent much less time in the league. He spent three years wearing the black and white stripes and was part of a playoff officiating crew last season for the clash between the Los Angles Chargers and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
His departure has been described as "curious" by Football Zebras, with his level of performance good and not up for debate.
Jerry Bergman Jr, Steve Patrick and Walt Coleman IV are among the other officials to leave the league in recent months.
NFL officials returned to work this week after the end of the three-month "dark period" following the Super Bowl, in which the league is not allowed to contact officials to allow them to have downtime and focus on their day jobs as part of the collective bargaining agreement.
Officials received their first memo of the season on Monday with the roster confirmed for the year ahead, and one of the first tasks is an open-book rules test which ensures referees are up to date with any tweaks and changes to the regulations before they return to the field in a few months' time.
