...doesn't mean he stops working. Earl Watson is working Michigan St.-Purdue.

Wasn't he one of the 2 officials whose role at end of the Rutger-St. John's game was called into question?

(03-11-2011 07:05 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  Wasn't he one of the 2 officials whose role at end of the Rutger-St. John's game was called into question?

Yes.

I thought as much...

Well good luck to both those teams.

I figure he'll probably do a great job, since he knows he's going to be under intense scrutiny by the NCAA and both schools...

According to something Sean McDonough said, Watson working the Big Ten tourney was a planned assignment. He withdrew essentially from being able to ref the quarterfinals or finals of the Big East.

(03-11-2011 09:36 PM)mattsarz Wrote:  According to something Sean McDonough said, Watson working the Big Ten tourney was a planned assignment. He withdrew essentially from being able to ref the quarterfinals or finals of the Big East.

And he still got paid for 5 days by the Big East. What a job!

(03-11-2011 10:59 PM)General Mike Wrote:  

(03-11-2011 09:36 PM)mattsarz Wrote:  According to something Sean McDonough said, Watson working the Big Ten tourney was a planned assignment. He withdrew essentially from being able to ref the quarterfinals or finals of the Big East.

And he still got paid for 5 days by the Big East. What a job!

Don't think so. Paid by the game usually. All they did was withdraw themselves from being considered for future work.

(03-11-2011 11:12 PM)mattsarz Wrote:  

(03-11-2011 10:59 PM)General Mike Wrote:  

(03-11-2011 09:36 PM)mattsarz Wrote:  According to something Sean McDonough said, Watson working the Big Ten tourney was a planned assignment. He withdrew essentially from being able to ref the quarterfinals or finals of the Big East.

And he still got paid for 5 days by the Big East. What a job!

Don't think so. Paid by the game usually. All they did was withdraw themselves from being considered for future work.

I heard on ESPN Radio that the Big East guarantees the salary for the entire week, so that they can get the first choice of referees. Then the guys not chosen are released and can move on to other games over the weekend.

According to this article from the daily News, these officials were forced to step down from officiating the remaining tourny games. I couldnt get the link to work but heres an excerpt:

Link


Sources told the Daily News that Big East commissioner John Marinatto - after consulting with his supervisor of officials Art Hyland - felt the league had no choice but to suspend Tim Higgins, Jim Burr and Earl Walton from officiating duties for the remainder of the week. The firestorm erupted when St. John's Justin Brownlee picked off a Rutgers pass with 4.9 seconds left, traveled, stepped out of bounds with 1.7 seconds to go and then hurled the ball into the stands with time still remaining.



http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/colleg...z1GMDqg7TA

(03-11-2011 11:42 PM)cuseroc Wrote:  According to this article from the daily News, these officials were forced to step down from officiating the remaining tourny games.

Link

Of course they were. No one actually believed the cover story of volunteering to withdraw did they?