John Parry Leaves ESPN's 'Monday Night Football' to Join NFL Team as Ref Liaison

After working at ESPN as a rules analyst on Monday Night Football since 2019, former NFL referee John Parry is returning to the league in a new role.

Parry confirmed to Ben Austro of FootballZebras.com that he has accepted a position as an officiating liaison for an NFL team, though he didn't reveal the franchise he'll be working for because he doesn't want to get ahead of the official announcement.

He will be serving as an advisor to the team's coaching staff on rules matters and replay decisions.

"Officials look at the game so differently than players, coaches, and fans," Parry said. "So to have somebody up [in the booth]: Hey, this is the mechanic, this is why that person made that call. And no matter what happens to this replay, if they flip it, here's where the ball will be spotted. Here's the down in distance. The clock's gonna start in the ready for play, or it's a 10-second runoff, so you could take a timeout. So you better start thinking about that, will you take one? Will you not?"

He continued: "There's so much on the shoulders of coaches as it pertains specifically to replay because it's grown so much and it is complicated. It's hard to keep all of that data straight. And I think there's value to having — I mean, obviously if you're working for a team, you want to win — but your job is to ensure that they have all the data that they can make the appropriate decision or the decision they want."

Parry had one year remaining on his contract with ESPN, but his departure was described as "amicable." The network is reportedly starting the process of finding his replacement.

Parry began his career as a replay official in 1999, the first year the NFL introduced the challenge-based system. He transitioned to a side judge in 2000 and then became a referee in 2008. He worked Super Bowl XLI as a side judge and XLVI and LIII as a referee.

While he enjoyed his time in the broadcasting booth, Parry said he was itching to get back to doing what he does best.

"Ultimately, I miss being in the game, and I'm hoping that this provides an opportunity to get back in the arena, challenges, wins and losses, all those feelings that you have from doing what we do," he said. "With Monday Night Football, it was go do the broadcast, speak to what you need to speak to, and head home. So, I'm looking forward to the off-the-game stuff: preparation, breaking down film, trying to educate players, trying to educate coaches being in the coach's box, being part of those conversations."