This article originally appeared on SteelersNOW.com.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will have a replacement referee for Sunday night’s AFC North showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Steelers and Bengals were expecting to have veteran NFL official Clete Blakeman as their head referee for Sunday night’s game. Instead, they’ll have a replacement official working one of the longest days in NFL history.
Don Willard, usually a side judge, will serve as the referee for the Steelers-Bengals game. He will also be serving as the referee for the game between the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts at 1 p.m. Any official, let alone the head referee, working two NFL games in one day is unprecedented in recent NFL history.
Blakeman, a veteran NFL referee, is from Oklahoma. His travel was impacted by the nationwide ground stop issued by the FAA on Friday night due to widespread communications issues.
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