NFL referee Jeff Triplette will retire after 19 seasons in the league, Kevin Seifert of ESPN reports.
Triplette's decision to walk away comes in the wake of a poor performance by him and his crew in Saturday's wild-card game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tennessee Titans.
Triplette and his crew bungled several calls, including blowing a sack of Marcus Mariota by Derrick Johnson dead immediately, ruling that forward progress had been stopped. Replays appeared to show Mariota fumbling the ball before hitting the ground.
Related - Reid: 'Nothing good to say' about officiating in wild-card loss to Titans
Former NFL head of officiating Mike Pereira criticized Triplette after the game:
Horrible way to start the playoffs. I hate to say it but this was not a good performance by the crew. Teams and fans deserve better.
— Mike Pereira (@MikePereira) January 7, 2018
