That Ref Is Not A Pirate; He's Just Blind

We don't ask much of referees in our sports: They should be fair, they should try to avoid taking away from the action on the field, they should, in a pinch, be able to prance around a bit. And, not to be a stickler, it would be nice if they had two working eyes.

Michigan coach Lloyd Carr agrees with us, apparently, getting a Big Ten referee fired after reporting to the league that he has only one eye. The referee, James Filson, lost his right eye in an accident in 2000, and he didn't tell his bosses about it. According to him, the reviews of his performance were actually better than they were before he lost his eye, which seems curious.

Filson is suing the Big Ten for his job back and pay lost, saying it's an unwarranted firing because he was doing just fine as a ref. In response, the league is standing just to the right of him.

One-Eyed Big Ten Ref Loses Job [Futon Report]