“Where’s the latino refs?” – NFL having All-Black official team for first time during Raiders-Chargers game receives mixed reactions on social media

On Thursday Night Football, the Raiders defeated the Chargers in their week 15 matchup.

“Where’s the latino refs?” – NFL having All-Black official team for first time during Raiders-Chargers game receives mixed reactions on social media

The officiating crew on TNF (Via AP)

On Thursday, the Las Vegas Raiders led by their rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell went against their AFC West division rivals Los Angeles Chargers in their week 15 matchup. During the game, the league made history by assembling an all-Black official team, both on-field and reply crew, for the first time in the league’s history.

Additionally, three women worked a game for the first time in the NFL, one on the field and two women in the booth. Maia Chaka worked as the line judge on the field while Artenzia Young-Seigler and Desiree Abrams worked in the booth as the replay official and the reply assistant respectively.

YouTube video

There have been instances where all the officials on the field were black, but for the first, the entire crew including the replay crew was filled by Black people. The historic crew was headed by Ronald Tolbert, who began his NFL officiating career back in 2010.

FS Video

This historic game happened just three years after an all-Black officiating crew took the field back on November 13, 2020, during a week 11 game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Troy Vincent, NFL executive vice president of Football Operations, declared that game as a testament to the contributions of Black officials to the game.

This historic Week 11 crew is a testament to the countless and immeasurable contributions of Black officials to the game, their exemplary performance, and to the power of inclusion that is the hallmark of this great game.
Vincent said in a statement according to Yahoo

And now, 3 years, later an all-Black official team took the field and the booth in week 15 of the 2023 regular season. The league and many fans believe it is one step in the right direction by the NFL.

Social media reacts to first All-Black official team

On Thursday Night Football game between the Raiders and the Chargers, the league made history by assembling the first-ever All-Black officiating crew in the league’s long history.

Ronald Tolbert
Ronald Tolbert (Via SI)

The move by the league received mixed reactions on social media among football fans. While some people appreciated the league’s efforts to improve diversity, others didn’t agree with the league making it a big deal.

Sharing a wide spectrum of reactions online, check out some of the reactions attached below.

On the sporting side of things, on TNF, the Raiders decimated the Las Angeles-based football team in their week 15 game. In the end, the Raiders managed to secure a 63-21 victory against the Chargers and improved to a 6-8 victory. With that victory, the Raiders are still in the playoff race in the ongoing season.

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