OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 17: Referee Gene Steratore #114 calls first down to Dallas during the game against the Oakland Raiders at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on December 17, 2017 in Oakland, California.

NFL instructs refs not to use folded note cards to measure 1st downs

Lachlan Cunningham / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Duh.

The NFL's head of officials, Al Riveron, said Thursday that he's instructed league officials not to use folded note cards when measuring for first down, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Referee Gene Steratore caused controversy when he did just that during Sunday night's game between the Oakland Raiders and the Dallas Cowboys, using a folded piece of paper to determine if the spot of the ball was enough to give Dallas a first down.

It’s a game of inches and also a game where we just make it up as we go and measure stuff with giant sticks and pieces of paper. pic.twitter.com/xhDSSTnxNk
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) December 18, 2017

Fans and media members mocked Steratore's decision and questioned why a billion-dollar sports league would use such a crude tool for such an important call.