Report: NFL fires official midseason for 1st time in Super Bowl era

The NFL has fired an official midseason for the first time in the Super Bowl era, dismissing down judge Hugo Cruz, sources told Ben Austro and Mark Schultz of Football Zebras.

The move was confirmed by ESPN's Kevin Seifert.

Cruz's performance has reportedly been under scrutiny for a while. He worked his last game on Oct. 14 and missed a false start against the Los Angeles Chargers on a play that resulted in a Chargers touchdown.

This is the false start missed by the now-fired official as just described by @footballzebras (watch the left tackle) pic.twitter.com/4LsDeKmrcR

- Ben Baldwin (@benbbaldwin) October 25, 2018

NFL Referees Association executive director Scott Green called Cruz's firing "reckless" in a statement.

Statement from NFL Referees Association Executive Director Scott Green on "reckless" firing of down judge Hugo Cruz: pic.twitter.com/ZThWAX8Xn0

- Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 25, 2018

An NFL spokesperson declined to comment on the report when contacted by Football Zebras.

The referees association plans to file a grievance on behalf of Cruz, a source told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Officials have been reprimanded in past years, but the league didn't terminate them until after the season.

Cruz joined the NFL in 2015.

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