NFL chief of officials Pereira will call it quits after '09 season

NEW YORK -- Mike Pereira, who has headed the NFL's officiating department since 2001, will retire after the 2009 season.

Official review

Mike Pereira, the NFL's chief of officiating since 2001, will retire following the 2009 season. Watch as he breaks down the controversial call from last week's Titans- Ravens divisional-round playoff game in "Official Review." Video ...

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Pereira, who will turn 60 next year, told Commissioner Roger Goodell last offseason that 2009 would be his final year with the league. He and his wife will return to his native northern California.

Pereira has been one of the most open chiefs of officiating in NFL history. He has used technology, including a segment called "Official Review" on the NFL Network's NFL Total Access, to help explain decisions, and he talks regularly to the media, including an annual NFL meetings session that includes game tapes and quizzes. He also sends out officiating tapes on both routine and controversial decisions several times per year.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press