John Parry, who led the seven-member officiating crew for Super Bowl LIII and just retired from officiating after 19 NFL seasons, is joining ESPN as an officiating analyst, the network announced Monday.
Parry will be part of Monday Night Football and the network’s studio coverage of the NFL.
This year’s Super Bowl was the third Parry had worked. He also worked in the Super Bowls that followed the 2006 and 2011 seasons.
“John’s role will be a first for ESPN’s NFL coverage. He will educate our commentators, staff, and, most importantly, millions of fans,” Monday Night Football producer Jay Rothman said. “With the attention to replay and rules at an all-time high, he is uniquely qualified to teach, add perspective and bring clarity to fans.”
Parry was a second-generation NFL official. His father, Dave Parry, is a former Supervisor of Officials for the Big Ten Conference and was the side judge in Super Bowl XVII.
“I will fully embrace this new position,” Parry said in a statement announcing the hire. “We hope to leverage 20 years of NFL officiating experience to our talent and to our great fans. Bringing clarity to a complicated game will be both challenging and rewarding. ESPN is a perfect fit based on their dedication to educating and entertaining fans.”
The NFL made the announcement of Parry’s retirement Monday in a tweet written by Al Riveron, the league’s head of officiating.
“Referee John Parry has announced his retirement after 19 seasons & 3 Super Bowls. Thank you, John, for your dedication to the game. We wish you all the best!” – AL pic.twitter.com/vPGJ8613L6
— NFL Officiating (@NFLOfficiating) April 1, 2019
This marks the second straight year the referee for the Super Bowl has retired. Gene Steratore, the referee for Super Bowl LII, retired last year.