Green is Super Bowl referee

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The NFL has selected veteran official Scott Green as the referee for Super Bowl XLIV, the league announced Wednesday.

Green is finishing his 19th season in the NFL. He has been a referee since 2004, and will be officiating his 13th playoff game.

Gene Steratore will serve as Green's backup, according to a league source.

Green has received consistently high marks from the NFL and has worked two other Super Bowls (2002 and 2004) as a back judge.

However, he also has been involved in some controversial finishes.

Green was the referee for this year's Green Bay-Arizona wild-card game that ended when Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers lost an overtime fumble that Cardinals linebacker Karlos Dansby recovered and returned for a touchdown on a play when Cardinals cornerback Michael Adams, according to television replays, appeared to have a hand on Rodgers' facemask. Later, the NFL's vice president of officiating, Mike Pereira, said it was an incidental facemask without grabbing, therefore it would not incur any penalty.

Green also was the back judge in the January 2003 wild-card game between the Giants and 49ers. Giants guard Rich Seubert lined up as an eligible receiver, but Green apparently did not realize it and did not throw a penalty when Seubert was interfered with downfield. Later, then-NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue expressed disappointment at the job officials had done on that play.

Green also was the referee at the end of Pittsburgh's 11-10 victory over San Diego last season, when he overruled a Troy Polamalu touchdown at the end of the game that affected the game's betting line.

After the game, Green conceded that he and his crew made a mistake, which led the NFL to debate "potential administrative improvements for replay that would help to prevent this type of mistake in the future."

The other officials are umpire Undrey Wash, head linesman John McGrath, line judge Jeff Seeman, field judge Rob Vernatchi, side judge Greg Meyer and back judge Greg Steed.

The crew has a combined 66 years of NFL officiating experience.

Under the league's evaluation system, the highest-rated eligible officials at each position earn a Super Bowl assignment.

Adam Schefter is ESPN's NFL Insider. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Adam Schefter

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• ESPN NFL Insider
• Joined ESPN in 2009
• Former president of the Pro Football Writers of America and the author of four books