Officiating shakeup continues as VP of replay is out after only 1 season

Football Zebras exclusive

Last year, the NFL quietly filled its vacancy for vice president of replay and wouldn’t confirm who was hired in the position. Less than a year later, that position is vacant again in a rolling NFL officiating department shakeup.

Jon Berger is moving to another unspecified role in the league office, confirmed by four officiating sources. This is happening at the same time as senior vice president of officiating Walt Anderson is transitioning to a nonsupervisory position in the officiating department. Football Zebras was first to report that Anderson’s job change was related to the hiring of his son as an on-field official. The reason for Berger’s move was not immediately known, but paired with Anderson it affords an opportunity to make a major change in leadership, which has been in the works for a few years.

Berger took an unconventional route to heading replay. He left the Giants in 2020 as their longtime analytics veteran, having been the team’s technology maven since the Commodore 64 era. In 2021, Berger was one of many who assisted the replay area of the NFL’s officiating department while the vice president of replay Russell Yurk was on a leave of absence and after senior vice president of officiating Al Riveron retired. Berger contributed to the weekly training tapes for the replay staff during the leadership vacuum.

It is not known if the incoming senior vice president will have a part in the hiring of the replay vice president, and recent history indicates it might not be finalized until later. In 2021, Riveron’s retirement was hours before the first preseason game, Yurk’s leave of absence took effect in September. In 2023, Berger was leading the virtual training sessions for the replay staff in July, but wasn’t the vice president until August.

Berger was assisted by Frank Szczepanik, the senior coordinator of officiating special projects, last year. Szczepanik also took an elevated replay role in 2021 after Yurk’s leave of absence, and could be in line to become the head of replay.

The officiating department has been expanding its leadership ranks to include those who haven’t officiated. Perry Fewell, a former assistant coach and interim head coach, was in a co-equal senior vice president role with Anderson and Riveron — both former referees — when he was hired in 2020, and there has been no word on his position changing. George Stewart, a longtime assistant coach, joined the officiating department in 2021 and two years later was elevated to the vice president of officiating training and development after the passing of Wayne Mackie, a Super Bowl head linesman. Berger and Szczepanik do not have officiating experience, but Szczepanik has had replay roles since 2017 in the NFL, XFL, and Major League Baseball.

In addition to Berger’s reassignment, two replay officials were also removed. Durwood Manley and Artenzia Young-Siegler were given an offer to remain in the replay booth, but as replay assistants. Manley was promoted to replay official in 2023 after 4 seasons at replay assistant; Young-Siegler was a replay assistant and replay official for 2 years each.

Update: The post was updated to clarify that Manley and Young-Siegler were offered replay assistant roles, but we have not confirmed that either has accepted that position.