NFL Replay Booth Revealed to Be Just Reruns Of "The Office"

By Clay Beyersdorfer

NEW YORK - In a shocking revelation, it was discovered that officials were not using the NFL replay booth to review game footage this season, but instead were watching reruns of the popular TV show "The Office." 

The discovery was made after video evidence leaked from last week’s divisional round matchups, where officiating crews in every game were seen laughing during challenged plays, after every touchdown, and with under two minutes on the game clock. 

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell issued a statement Saturday saying, "We apologize to fans and teams for the mistakes made during the replay review process. We are actively addressing the situation with those individuals to ensure this does not happen again in the future."

Despite the apology, many fans and analysts are left wondering how this could have happened, and how long it had been going on.

An investigation by End of the Bench revealed that officials have been secretly watching "The Office" during replay reviews for years, even as far back as 2013, when the NBC sitcom aired its very last episode.

“It’s been a thing for a while now,” a former NFL official who requested anonymity told EOTB. “Sometimes we just need a little break from the actual game you know? Everybody is always yelling at you, it can be such a downer. And what better way to cheer up than to see what antics Dwight and Jim are up to?” 

The source went on to say that some officials had become so engrossed in the show as the years went on, they had even started to bring snacks into the booth as they watched.

“I kept telling them [referees] that the snacks weren’t a good idea. Do you know how messy Nature Valley granola bars can be? There’d be fucking granola crumbs everywhere when you went under the hood sometimes.”

As far as the length and the number of reviews, which have angered fans, players, and coaches around the league for years, it “all depended on what episode they were on.”

“Typically if it is a quicker review, most likely the ref was on an episode from Season 8, you know the one with James Spader? Nobody really likes that season anyways, so it’s easy to just hit ‘Next episode’ and confirm whatever the original call on the field was.”

No doubt the incident has now sparked a renewed interest in "The Office," with many fans tuning in to watch the show for the first time or revisiting it after years of not watching. 

The show's creator, Greg Daniels, even released a statement saying that he was "flattered" that his show had been so popular among NFL officials.

“Roger Goodell is a lot like Michael Scott, the more I think about it,” he added. “So it makes sense.”

Despite the scandal, the NFL plans to move forward with no change to its officiating crews during tomorrow’s Conference Championship games.

End of the Bench will have more as this story develops.