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Back judge Steve Freeman leaves Week 3 game in Atlanta
Best wishes to Steve Freeman for a speedy recovery and a quick return to the field.
Steve Freeman (Kansas City Chiefs)
Back judge Steve Freeman was hurt in Week 3 during the Saints-Falcons game in Atlanta. Freeman is normally on Alex Kemp’s crew, but for this week he worked with Walt Anderson’s crew in Atlanta and Anderson’s normal back judge, Lee Dyer, worked on Kemp’s crew.
Freeman was hurt on a deep pass play down the middle, one of the hardest plays for a back judge. He back pedaled and then pivoted to run forward. During his pivot he fell down, untouched. He then scrambled to his feet to continue officiating the play just before he went out of the frame (video).
Initially, I worried he had an Achilles issue, but later footage showed him walking off the field under his own power, so hopefully it wasn’t a catastrophic injury. We do not know the specifics of why Freeman had to leave the game or what his injury was. Anderson’s crew finished the game with six-man mechanics.
Freeman’s son, Brad, is also a NFL official.
Best wishes to Steve Freeman for a speedy recovery and a quick return to the field.
