Dean Blandino
Former NFL VP of Officiating
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Dean Blandino is the former Vice President of Officiating for the NFL, and is currently a rules analyst for Fox Sports in addition to working with the newest iteration of the XFL as “VP of Officiating, Playing Rules Innovation.”
Blandino was first hired as an intern in the NFL’s officiating department, and after the 1994 season became a full-time employee. Blandino’s role expanded in 1999 when he was tasked with organizing instant replay—a new aspect of the game introduced that season. He served as the replay official for two Super Bowls.
In addition to the NFL, Blandino has consulted on replay officiating for the Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, Mid-American and Mountain West conferences.
After a brief time away from the league, Blandino returned to the NFL in 2012, and was promoted to VP of Officiating in 2013, succeeding Carl Johnson, who briefly held the position after Mike Pereira left the league.
As the league’s top official, Blandino oversaw the full-time hire of Sarah Thomas as the NFL’s first female official. He served as an executive producer of “Her Turf,” an award-winning documentary following three female football referees as they navigate the male-dominated field.
Blandino became a rules analyst for Fox Sports in 2017. He is involved in the network’s NFL and college football coverage. Blandino also worked with the Alliance of American Football and the XFL.
Blandino grew up in Bellmore, New York and attended Wellington C. Mepham High School, where he played tight end. He graduated from Hofstra University in 1993.
Dean'S CONTRIBUTIONS
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Make the Call: ‘Tush Push’ One of NFL’s Points of Emphasis for Week 4
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Make the Call: Officials Right to Swallow Whistles on Mac Jones' Sneak
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Make the Call: Getting to Know the Excess Timeout Rules
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Make the Call: Mahomes Right That Jawaan Taylor Is Being Singled Out
Dean Blandino says Patrick Mahomes isn't wrong when he says he sees other tackles lining…
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2023 NFL Officiating Trends Through Week 2: Game Time Still Up
Dean Blandino takes a look at some trends in the NFL through two weeks of…
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Officiating Crews Could Give Broncos, Raiders Different Number of Penalties
Dean Blandino breaks down two officiating crews this weekend and how they will have an…
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Make The Call: Geno Smith Grounding Call Wrong, Interaction Hilarious
Dean Blandino says the officiating side of him was disappointed that the call of intentional…
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Make the Call: Officials Missed DPI On Broncos' 2-Point Conversion
Dean Blandino gives his take on whether officials missed a pass interference call on the…
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Make the Call: Jake Curhan Wasn't Holding on Seahawks' Winning TD
Dean Blandino explains why the officials got it right by not calling holding on Seattle…
By Dean Blandino Former NFL VP of Officiating
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Overreacting to 2023 NFL Week 1 Officiating
Dean Blandino crunches the numbers to compare 2023 Week 1 numbers, such as game time,…
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