Joey Crawford's Hall of Fame Take: Challenge Systems Keep Refs From Lying to Themselves

Joey Crawford just got inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, and he's got something to say about why every sport needs to let coaches and players challenge bad calls. The legendary and yes, polarizing NBA referee who spent nearly four decades blowing the whistle says the new challenge systems across sports are actually good because they force officials to own their mistakes.

"You're paid to get the plays right. You're paid to get them right," Crawford told ESPN. "They're going to make mistakes. It's all the same thing. The key is not to blow that whistle and guess."

Every League Now Has Skin in the Game

MLB just rolled out its automated ball-strike system this season, giving batters, pitchers, and catchers the ability to challenge calls using automated tracking. Each team gets two wrong calls before they're done challenging. But Crawford's point applies across the board: the NBA has had coach's challenges since 2019, the NHL since 2015, and the NFL since 1999.

What changed Crawford's mind? He'll admit it: he hated the idea at first. But after thinking about it, he gets it now. "I just love it because you have to understand at the end of the game if you screw a play up, you're going back to the hotel, dreading it," he said. "I had a number of those nights." That's real talk from a guy who refereed from 1977 to 2016 and wasn't always loved for it.

The Controversial Ref Reflects

Crawford was one of the most recognizable and hotly debated officials in NBA history. He says the criticism bothered him, even if he tried not to show it on the court. "I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me. It bothered me. Yes, it did. But it's the job," he said.

He pushed back on one recurring knock: that he favored superstars. "Refs see shirts, not players," Crawford said. "The best player has the ball at the end of the game, so if you're going to call it fairly, that's just how it is." He still works for the NBA to support officials, and he's clear on one thing: refs train hard and they're very good. But they're human. They miss. And now, at least, there's a system to make sure those misses don't stand unchecked.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.