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About Football Glossary - Referee

By James Alder, About.com

Definition: The referee is the official that has control of the game and is generally the final authority in all decisions. Among his duties are:

• Announce all penalties
• Explain penalties to the offending team's captain
• Explain penalties to the head coach of the offending team and inform him of who it was called against
• Position himself in the backfield, approximately 10 yards behind the quarterback, before each snap
• Monitor illegal hits on the quarterback
• Watch for illegal blocks near the quarterback
• Determine whether the yardage chains should be brought on the field for a measurement

You can tell the referee from the other officials because he is the only one that wears a white hat. All other officials wear black hats.

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