NFL names Al Riveron new officiating VP

NFL names Al Riveron the new officiating vice president.

The NFL named former official Alberto Riveron the new senior vice president of officiating, the league announced Wednesday.

Riveron has been in the league's officiating department since 2013 and was an official for nine seasons. He was promoted to referee in 2008, becoming the league's first Hispanic referee.

The NFL also named Russell Yurk the VP of instant replay and administration and Wayne Mackie the vice president of officiating evalustion and development.

Riveron takes over for Dean Blandino, who announced last month that he was leaving his post to pursue other opportunities,

“Al has done a terrific job as a key member of our officiating staff for the past four seasons,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. “Prior to that, Al was an outstanding on-field official who earned the respect of his fellow officials, as well as coaches and players alike. To have Al leading our officiating department, and then to add talented, knowledgeable instant replay and officiating experts like Russell and Wayne, is a tremendous positive for us as we look forward to the 2017 season.”

The league said Riveron will be in charge of all aspects of the officiating department, to include the new implementation of the centralized replay model.

- Scooby Axson