The NFL is saying farewell to several of its longtime referees this year, but one of the officials set to retire jumps off the page more than most: Jerome Boger.
Boger, 67, has been an NFL official since 2004 and a referee since 2006. During that time he’s been one of the names most associated with NFL officiating. More specifically, he’s been one of the names associated with bad and comical officiating.
Fans will recall one of Boger’s most recent gems when he called roughing the passer on Atlanta’s Grady Jarrett for a perfectly legal sack on Tom Brady.
ABSOLUTE BULLSHIT!!! pic.twitter.com/u74YZp8wFf
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) October 9, 2022
It may have been then that Boger decided it was time to hang em’ up. Falcons fans no doubt would have agreed with that sentiment.
And who could forget when Boger called the Seahawks the Mariners?
In honor of NFL referee Jerome Boger finally retiring after 19 painful seasons (for fans), here is my favorite call of his. He called a penalty for sideline interference on the “Seattle Mariners” pic.twitter.com/EnVkZ2NALg
— Roberto Shenanigans (@Rob_Shenanigans) March 3, 2023
But overall, Twitter was beyond happy.
NFL fans after hearing referee Jerome Boger is retiring pic.twitter.com/HdbEOPAE4g
— Korked Bats (@korkedbats) March 2, 2023
Browns fans finding out that Jerome Boger is retiring pic.twitter.com/MEYM36cp4z https://t.co/hL8vHZWz6P
— DollarDog Nick (@DollarDogNick) March 3, 2023
JEROME BOGER IS RETIRING https://t.co/xMWLDayNLF pic.twitter.com/oPN0uGPJDh
— Poco G (@PocoGSouth) March 2, 2023
NFL fans upon seeing Jerome Boger is retiring pic.twitter.com/sa0fpjULae
— Tyler Welch (@ty_welch) March 2, 2023
Boger officiated one Super Bowl. The bizarre 2013 matchup between the Ravens and 49ers in which the power in the New Orleans Superdome went out for 34 minutes. Boger has never officially been held responsible for the power outage, but he probably did it.
Just kidding. Happy retirement Mr. Boger.