XFL Appoints Dean Blandino As Head Of Officiating

Preparing to establish the league's official rules, the XFL has announced that Dean Blandino will be the organization's Head of Officiating. The XFL is looking to capitalize on its "less stall and more ball" approach with the signing.

Blandino spent five years as the NFL's Vice President of Officiating before joining FOX Sports as their Football Rules Analyst. Originally interning with the NFL before becoming a full-time employee in 1994, the Long Islander and Hofstra University graduate helped innovate instant replay, managing the then-project for six years starting in 1999. Since then, instant replay has been a major part of the game and all major sports. He has also been the director of instant replay for NCAA football and an officiating consultant for the AAF.

Blandino will take part in an AMA later today to discuss the rules of the XFL. Some of the new rules being discussed include eliminating PAT kicks and replacing them with scrimmage plays, a continuously running clock and a penalty shootout-esque OT period. The process reportedly took about 18 months of research and development.

The relaunched XFL season is expected to start in February of 2020, the weekend after the Super Bowl.