Shawn Smith (American football)

Shawn Smith is an American professional football official in the National Football League (NFL). He wears uniform number 14. He entered the league in the 2015 season as an umpire, and was promoted to referee for the 2018 season, following the retirements of Terry McAulay and Gene Steratore. Smith becomes only the sixth African American referee in NFL history, following Johnny Grier, Mike Carey, Jerome Boger, Don Carey and Ronald Torbert.^[1] In 2022, he was listed as head referee.^[2][3]

Shawn Smith
Shawn Smith with a coin flip (Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New York Giants, 2018)
Occupation(s)	NFL official (2015–), auditor

Outside of his NFL duties, Smith works as an internal auditor in Southfield, Michigan.^[1]

2024 crew[4]

• R: Shawn Smith
• U: Alex Moore
• DJ: Jay Bilbo
• LJ: Jeff Seeman
• FJ: Dyrol Prioleau
• SJ: Boris Cheek
• BJ: Dino Paganelli
• RO: Mike Wimmer
• RA: Larry Hill Jr.

References

1. Filipe, Cameron (June 21, 2018). "Umpire Shawn Smith promoted to referee position". Football Zebras. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
2. Belson, Ken; Vrentas, Jenny (January 9, 2023). "Who Told Players to Warm Up After Damar Hamlin Collapsed?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
3. Bleier, Evan (January 10, 2023). "NFL, ESPN Keep Fighting Over Damar Hamlin "5 Minutes" Report". InsideHook. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
4. staff, Football Zebras (May 28, 2024). "Officiating crews for the 2024 season". Football Zebras. Retrieved October 18, 2024.