DESTIN, Fla. - Two SEC referees who had worked controversial Georgia games are leaving their posts, but for different reasons.
Penn Wagers has moved on, possibly to another conference, while Matt Moore is retiring, SEC coordinator of officials Steve Shaw said Thursday.
Wagers was well-known to Georgia fans for several calls. The most recent came in 2013, when Wagers called an unsportsmanlike penalty on head coach Mark Richt for arguing a fumble recovery call at Auburn.
“Penn and I had had a conversation over the last couple years and kind of had identified that the 2014 season would be his last season,” Shaw said. “He may work in another conference. You may see his smiling face somewhere on Saturday, you may not, I don’t know.”
Moore was the crew chief in 2013 when Georgia lost to Vanderbilt after two disputed targeting calls, including a Ramik Wilson hit that extended a Vanderbilt touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.
Moore “physically had some challenges” and was ready to retire, according to Shaw, who hopes Moore eventually comes back to work in the replay booth.
“We had a long, good assocation with both (Moore and Wagers),” Shaw said.
The new new referees are Brad Rodgers, who had been with the SEC, and John McDaid. who was a referee in the Big East and American Athletic Conference. McDaid worked a national championship game at one point.
In other officiating news, Shaw also announced that the SEC would go to eight-man crews for all games, after experimenting with it with one crew last year.
Shaw said the eight-man crew last year finished “dead in the middle” for number of penalties called per game.
“So for those who think it’ll result in more fouls called, it shouldn’t,” Shaw said.
