SEC suspends Georgia-LSU refs

By Tim Tucker

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The SEC on Wednesday suspended the officiating crew that worked the Oct. 3 Georgia-LSU football game, which was marked by a controversial excessive-celebration penalty that the league later disavowed.

The suspension came after the SEC found that the same crew incorrectly called a personal-foul penalty late in Saturday's Florida-Arkansas game.

"A series of calls that have occurred during the last several weeks have not been to the standard that we expect from our officiating crews," SEC commissioner Mike Slive said in a statement. "I believe our officiating program is the best in the country; however, there are times when these actions must be taken."

The  crew, headed by referee Marc Curles, will be removed from its next scheduled assignment Oct. 31 and benched until Nov. 14, the SEC said.

The controversial call in Georgia's loss to LSU came against the Bulldogs' A.J. Green after he caught a touchdown pass for a 13-12 lead with just over a minute to play. The penalty was assessed on the subsequent kickoff, and a long LSU return set up the decisive touchdown in LSU's 20-13 victory. After reviewing video two days later, the SEC said the penalty should not have been called.

Similarly, the league said video did not support the personal foul called against Arkansas defensive lineman Malcolm Sheppard in the fourth quarter of Florida's 23-20 victory.