usatoday
Spurrier blasts SEC officials
By Rick Scoppe, The Greenville (S.C.) News
COLUMBIA, S.C. ? Coach Steve Spurrier said his South Carolina Gamecocks have been the victim of "more than their share" of bad calls this year by officials and that he favored having officials from outside the region do Southeastern Conference games.
"I think it's a wonderful idea," Spurrier said on his weekly radio call-in show Thursday night. "It doesn't make sense if some guy from, I don't know, Alabama or Tennessee, is refereeing our game.
"In the SEC, I know how these guys are. They go out and have a beer with their buddies (who say), 'Man, you stuck it to them last week, didn't you? You really got Spurrier and them Gamecocks, didn't you?'
"Everybody says, 'Nah, that doesn't happen.' I think it does happen. Maybe they stick it to Florida. Maybe they stick it to ...," Spurrier said, pausing before going on: "I'm in favor of referees that don't even know who you are from other parts of the country come in and calling games. To me it makes sense."
SEC spokesman Charles Bloom said "nothing will happen today," adding that commissioner Mike Slive was taking "the weekend to review the matter. We'll have a decision on Monday" on whether the league will take any action.
It wasn't the first time Spurrier has complained about the officiating in South Carolina's 26-20 loss to then-No. 12 Arkansas on Saturday. On his Sunday television show Spurrier questioned several penalties ? or calls that weren't made.
Then on Tuesday at his weekly news conference said he was "glad" a reporter asked about the officiating, revealing he had spoken with Slive. Spurrier said Slive "assured" him he would "personally analyze and look into a couple calls."
"I'm not happy with what's happened, but there's not much we can do as coaches about it," Spurrier said on his call-in show. "I just hope the head (of officiating for the SEC) and the commissioner will thoroughly look into (the) officiating and make sure our guys are as honest as they can be and (are) making the same calls for all the teams, and I'm not sure that's happening this year."
Spurrier said he bragged about the officiating last year, saying how much better it was now than when he was at Florida and how last year the Gamecocks had "wonderful calls."
"But I can't say that this year," he said. "We're not supposed to comment on if that one (a call) was bad or good. So I'm not going to say that, but I think obviously this year we have had more than our share of bad ones."
Still, Spurrier insisted he wasn't blaming the officials for USC's loss ? the Gamecocks' third by a touchdown or less this year to a nationally ranked opponent as they prepare to face No. 6 Florida Saturday.
"We had a lot bad plays in that game. We tried to fight back and overcome them," he said. "But it didn't work out. We're not blaming the officials. Yeah, we got some bad calls. I got to admit that. We all have to admit that. (But) we had a lot of bad plays. That's why we're losers."
