BroBible
Perhaps no one is as reviled on the football field as the referees. Though their entire job consists of making sure players are safe and the game is played according to the rules, just the sight of one of those black and white shirts can make a football fan recoil.
Though the zebras, as members of the officiating crew are often called, have their fans, it’s pretty safe to say they have far more haters. Think your team’s wideout made that catch? The ref says they didn’t get both feet in. Think that was a clean tackle? The ref says it was an illegal horse collar.
The daughter of one NFL referee recently took to TikTok to poke fun at the notoriety that goes along with the job.
As the classic song “Silver Springs” by Fleetwood Mac plays, Emily Hussey (@emilyhussey0) dances and lip-syncs. Against Stevie Nicks crooning, “Time cast a spell on you/but you won’t forget me,” you see her father, John Hussey, officiating a game. A text overlay on the clip reads, “They might move on but they’ll never be able to enjoy football season without seeing my dad.”
Hussey captions the post, “It’s the start of ‘I see your dad’ season #nfl.”
Her post has 1.1 million views as of this writing.
John Hussey has been an NFL referee since 2015. Before that, he was a line judge in the league for 13 years.
Like players, NFL referees have numbers. Hussey’s number is 35.
Hussey has reffed National Football Conference and American Football Conference championships and been the alternate ref for two Super Bowls.
Last week, he angered some Baltimore Ravens fans by calling the team back to the field at halftime to put another second on the clock. That second allowed the Buffalo Bills to kick a field goal.
Blowing whistles isn’t Hussey’s only job. He’s also the CEO and founder of CUDDLY, a marketplace that helps animal rescue groups raise funds. His daughter Emily also works there.
NFL referees really don’t deserve the vitriol they get. They put their bodies on the line to perform an often thankless job that is literally designed to level the playing field and protect the players.
But then again, every football fan well remembers the bitter taste of a bad call. Sure, they got it right 99% of the time, but the referee flubbed this one and cost their team the game.
Most of us aren’t expected to literally never make a mistake at work. But referees are.
They’re also largely seen as NPCs who only exist on the field of play—not as human beings with daughters and companies that help save puppies.
Perhaps that’s why Emily Hussey’s post had some people feeling a tinge embarrassed in the comments.
As a user named Jacob wrote, “Formally apologize for what I have said at the TV to your father.”
Riley shared a similar sentiment, writing, “Girl why did...
