Sources: Anderson done as NFL officiating chief

NFL officiating chief Walt Anderson has stepped aside amid a larger reorganization of the league’s officiating department, the league confirmed Thursday.

Anderson said in a statement that he will move to a new role as an NFL rules analyst & club communications liaison, where he “will focus on communicating with the clubs during the week and with our broadcast partners on gamedays.”

The league did not immediately announce a replacement.

“While I will no longer be making officiating decisions,” Anderson said, “together with a variety of stakeholders I will continue to look for new and better ways to promote excellence in officiating performance. I welcome this challenge and look forward to the opportunity to support the men and women who do such a tremendous job officiating our game at every level.”

Sources have said over the past year that the league favors having former coaches in its officiating leadership group. That includes Perry Fewell, its senior vice president of officiating communications and administration. The NFL also quietly hired longtime assistant coach George Stewart in 2023 to serve as vice president of training and development.

Anderson, who retired as a referee in 2019, initially joined the officiating department as its senior vice president of training and development. Under the initial vision, he was to work alongside two other executives — Fewell and Al Riveron — to lead certain segments of the department. Ultimately, however, Anderson unofficially ascended to the top leadership position.

Anderson’s job shift will eliminate the nepotism rules that prevented the NFL from hiring his son, Derek, as an official last year. Derek Anderson was one of five new game officials whose hirings the NFL confirmed Thursday.