Should the NFL take a lesson from the UFL's new referee strategy?

The UFL is shaking things up with its approach to in-game officiating controversies, and there might be a lesson that the NFL could take from the burgeoning spring league. This past Friday, amid a contest between the St. Louis BattleHawks and Columbus Aviators, there was a controversial no-call on what some thought should be declared pass interference.

And then, the league did something that might confound NFL fans – they brought field judge Gabriel DeLeon front and center on the broadcast to do an in-game interview addressing the call. "If there’s a back shoulder and I’m looking at that and, you know, there’s no material restriction, I’m just gonna leave it alone to be honest with you,” DeLeon said . The UFL featured an in-game interview on a FOX broadcast with the field judge after a controversial no-pass interference call: “If there’s a back shoulder and I’m looking at that, and there’s no material restriction, I’m just gonna leave it alone.

” pic. twitter. com/5AcgSBX2Mu — Front Office Sports (@FOS) May 10, 2026 “So if the throw is not where it should be — if that throw’s not there — you’re not gonna reward a poor throw on something like that?

” Fox analyst Brock Huard asked. “Yeah, that works,” DeLeon said. “That works for me.