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NFL referee faces 112-mile dash on double-duty Sunday after FAA ground stop

Read the original at The Guardian ↗
Cite

sport, G. (2026, November 15). NFL referee faces 112-mile dash on double-duty Sunday after FAA ground stop. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/nov/14/nfl-referee-two-games-faa-ground-stop-sports-travel-disruption

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

The Guardian · collected 2026-11-15 · by Guardian sport

Quick Summary

NFL referee Don Willard will officiate two games on Sunday after the FAA grounded all flights, forcing travel adjustments. Willard will first work the Miami Dolphins' game against the Indianapolis Colts at 1pm ET, then travel 112 miles to officiate the Pittsburgh Steelers' Sunday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The disruption also affected other leagues, with the NBA making changes to its officiating crews due to travel delays.
Written by AI on 2026-11-15, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).
See how they differ ↓

AI analysis

Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political question, so it has no leaning score. That is an answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political position.
No political leaning scored for article 154427 · logged 2026-11-15

How they differ

32 outlets covered “FAA Ground Stop Disrupts Travel”.

What each outlet says

One AI summary per outlet of its latest article on this story, written from that article alone and checked against it. Open the article for the outlet's own words.

The GuardianThis outlet15 Nov

NFL referee Don Willard will officiate two games on Sunday after the FAA grounded all flights, forcing travel adjustments. Willard will first work the Miami Dolphins' game against the Indianapolis Colts at 1pm ET, then travel 112 miles to officiate the Pittsburgh Steelers' Sunday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The disruption also affected other leagues, with the NBA making changes to its…

NFL referee faces 112-mile dash on double-duty Sunday after FAA ground stop (this article)9 articles from The Guardian on this story
CBS News14 Nov

Captain Laura Einsetler and Todd Yeary, a former air traffic controller, discuss the aftermath of a national Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ground stop that has led to continued delays and cancellations for travelers. The article focuses on their perspectives and insights regarding the impact of this ground stop on the aviation industry and passengers.

Pilot, former air traffic controller react to national ground stop →23 articles from CBS News on this story
New York Post14 Nov

As of Saturday afternoon, more than 4,467 flights remained canceled and another 4,430 delayed in the United States following the FAA’s ground stop order. Travelers at major airports like LaGuardia and JFK in New York and Newark Airport in New Jersey were left stranded, with some facing extreme inconveniences such as missing important family events or finding themselves in financial hardship. The article highlights…

More than 4K flights still canceled as FAA ground stop continues to snarl travel: ‘I’m tired and ready to go home’ →16 articles from New York Post on this story
Toronto Star14 Nov

The Federal Aviation Administration's decision to ground all flights nationwide for several hours on Friday severely disrupted travel plans for professional and college sports teams. This led to delays in kickoff times for multiple college football games, such as Utah’s game at Arizona and Arizona State’s game at Central Florida, which were both delayed by three hours. Some teams, like Auburn, used charter buses to…

US sports scramble back to normal after FAA ground stop upends team travel →14 articles from Toronto Star on this story
The Straits Times15 Nov

A student pilot encountered unexpected difficulties during his first solo cross-country flight on November 13 when an air traffic controller instructed him to land due to a nationwide ground stop caused by a communications network failure at the FAA. The shutdown affected about 4,000 aircraft in the air at the time, though all landed safely despite limited radar and communication capabilities. The incident…

‘I don’t know what to do’: Student pilot on first solo flight caught in US shutdown →12 articles from The Straits Times on this story
Just the News14 Nov

A nationwide FAA ground stop initiated due to a telecommunications issue with air traffic control centers disrupted the college football schedule and NFL officiating plans over the weekend. The restrictions began late Friday afternoon and caused delays in travel for several college football teams, leading to postponements and rescheduling of games, including the Ole Miss-Oklahoma game moved to Sunday. The NFL also…

FAA ground stop disrupts college football schedule, forces NFL to reshuffle officiating crews →11 articles from Just the News on this story
Show 26 more outlets
Daily Mail15 Nov

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed L3Harris for a recent incident that disrupted 20,000 flights due to a router overload at a Federal Aviation Administration site. Duffy said investigators are determining if the issue stemmed from operator error or a faulty router installed by L3Harris. The article highlights L3Harris's history of controversies, including export-control violations and allegations of…

The Trump administration blames L3Harris for crippling US airspace... as company's VERY checkered history comes to light →11 articles from Daily Mail on this story
Washington Examiner14 Nov

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy criticized telecommunications provider L3Harris during a press conference on Saturday for a mishap on Friday night that led to a nationwide ground stop. The ground stop was caused by an L3Harris contractor making a mistake while switching telecommunications lines from copper to fiber optic cables. Duffy expressed frustration, stating he is "stuck" with L3Harris until other…

Duffy criticizes FAA telecommunications provider L3Harris for mishap that led to ground stop →10 articles from Washington Examiner on this story
NBC News14 Nov

A Federal Aviation Administration ground stop on Friday disrupted travel plans for several sports teams, most notably in college football where multiple games were rescheduled or delayed. The NFL, however, was largely unaffected as all road teams were scheduled to travel on Saturday. To mitigate the impact on officiating, the NFL reassigned some backup referees to games within driving distance of their hometowns.

FAA ground stop throws college football into chaos, while the NFL is safe →9 articles from NBC News on this story
NPR15 Nov

The Federal Aviation Administration's ground stop on Friday caused widespread disruptions, including delays and cancellations for college football teams traveling to games. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy acknowledged the impact on the college football schedule, noting that some games were delayed or rescheduled. For example, the Utah vs. Arizona game started three hours later than planned, and the Auburn vs…

FAA ground stop disrupts college football →8 articles from NPR on this story
Sydney Morning Herald14 Nov

Over 5000 US flights were canceled due to a nationwide ground stop. The Trump administration has hinted that a contractor might be responsible for the disruption, but the article does not provide further details or specific numbers regarding the contractor's involvement.

More than 5000 US flights grounded following nationwide stoppage →7 articles from Sydney Morning Herald on this story
Fox News14 Nov

Former FAA air traffic senior executive Mike McCormick warned Congress about the urgent need to fund an overhaul of the nation’s aging air traffic control system after recent equipment issues caused a nationwide ground stop. Speaking on "Fox & Friends Weekend," McCormick predicted that it could take up to 48 hours to recover from the disruptions, emphasizing the challenges of updating technology while maintaining…

Former top FAA official warns of 48-hour recovery after aging tech 'overwhelmed' ahead of ground stop →7 articles from Fox News on this story
Times of India15 Nov

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed outdated technology for causing widespread flight cancellations and delays across the country, affecting about a quarter of the 45,000 daily flights. More than 2,500 flights were cancelled on Saturday alone, and hundreds more were delayed. Duffy suggested that Congress's failure to fund new technology upgrades contributed to the issue, and warned of potential future…

US transport secy blames expired tech for flight chaos →7 articles from Times of India on this story
Dawn14 Nov

During a press conference to discuss the previous day’s major air travel disruptions caused by outdated technology, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and FAA officials faced their own technical issues on live television. The glitches included echoing sounds and feedback, causing a delay of three minutes while the equipment was fixed. Secretary Duffy appeared irritated and acknowledged the irony of the…

'Check, one two': Technical glitch hits US presser on air travel chaos →7 articles from Dawn on this story
ABC News (AU)14 Nov

A nationwide grounding of US flights lasting about five hours on Friday caused nearly 10,000 cancellations and delays, affecting major airlines like Delta, American, and United. With nearly 29 million passengers expected to fly during the Thanksgiving period from November 20 to 30, airlines are struggling to recover, potentially causing continued disruptions for several days. The Federal Aviation Administration’s…

US travellers face more flight disruptions ahead of holiday period →5 articles from ABC News (AU) on this story
Evening Standard14 Nov

This informational guide explains passenger rights regarding flight delays and cancellations following a four-hour nationwide FAA ground stop in the United States that cancelled approximately 10,000 flights. The text details specific compensation thresholds, such as a refund option for delays exceeding five hours and tiered payouts ranging from £220 to £520 depending on distance and duration. It clarifies that while…

What to do if your flight is cancelled? Rights explained amid US ground stop chaos →5 articles from Evening Standard on this story
The Hindu15 Nov

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford announced on November 14, 2026, that U.S. air travel should recover from a four-hour nationwide ground stop by the end of November 15. The ground stop, the longest in 25 years, affected about 25% of the 45,000 daily flights, causing widespread delays and cancellations. The incident was caused by new technology overloading antiquated equipment in the air traffic control system. While…

U.S. air travel should recover from ground stop by end of November 15, FAA says →4 articles from The Hindu on this story
The Independent14 Nov

On Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide grounding of all flights, causing major disruptions to travel plans for various sports teams across the United States. This affected upcoming college football games, with matches like Utah's against Arizona and Arizona State’s against Central Florida being delayed by several hours. Professional sports were impacted too, with NBA team Cleveland…

FAA ground stop: Sport stars scramble as flight chaos and major travel disruption hits America →4 articles from The Independent on this story
ABC News (US)14 Nov

A travel expert advises passengers on how to manage disruptions following a telecommunications issue in the FAA’s air traffic control system that led to over 14,000 flight cancellations on Friday and Saturday. Brett Snyder, president of Cranky Concierge, recommends that travelers consider rebooking or canceling delayed trips, especially for short and less critical journeys, and suggests staying updated through…

How travelers can navigate trips as ground stop effects linger, expert says →3 articles from ABC News (US) on this story
The Daily Wire14 Nov

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford ruled out a cyberattack or AI-related causes for the nationwide ground stop on Friday, which affected over a million travelers. Bedford apologized for the disruptions and defended the decision to ground flights as a precaution. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy suggested that routine maintenance work by contractor L3Harris, which involves switching telecommunication lines from old…

FAA Rules Out Cyberattack As Ground Stop Wreaks Havoc Nationwide →3 articles from The Daily Wire on this story
CBC14 Nov

Air Canada cancelled about 250 flights on Friday due to a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-ordered ground stop, affecting roughly 27,000 passengers. British Columbian flyers stranded in Cancun, Mexico, spent between $2,000 and $3,000 on alternative travel arrangements after their flights were cancelled, citing poor communication and lack of rebooking assistance from Air Canada. The FAA's ground stop was a…

Stranded B.C. flyers out thousands amid flight cancellations due to FAA-ordered ground stop →3 articles from CBC on this story
Daily Caller14 Nov

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy held a press conference to urge Congress to allocate $50 billion for upgrading the U.S. air traffic control system, citing a recent critical outage that halted all departing flights. Duffy attributes the outage to a contractor's switch from copper to fiber wires and emphasizes that his department has already made significant improvements with $12.5 billion, including replacing 69%…

Duffy Floats $50 Billion Price Tag For Congress To Prevent Repeat Paralysis Of US Air Travel →3 articles from Daily Caller on this story
BBC14 Nov

Transport Secretary Sean Duffy announced that a nationwide flight suspension in the US, causing over 3,500 cancellations, was triggered by a copper wire upgrade gone wrong. The incident, caused by a contractor's work on a router, led to communication issues with planes, prompting the FAA to halt all flights for over four hours. An investigation is ongoing to determine if the issue was due to incompetence or faulty…

Copper wire upgrade caused nationwide flight suspension, US transport secretary says →3 articles from BBC on this story
Global News14 Nov

The Federal Aviation Administration announced that the U.S. air travel schedule will likely recover by Sunday after a nationwide ground stop that ended Friday night. Approximately 4,000 flights were canceled on Friday, and while 41,000 flights were scheduled for Saturday, between 4,000 and 5,000 are expected to be canceled. Air Canada alone canceled around 250 flights, affecting about 27,000 customers. Passengers…

Air travel schedule should recover by Sunday, FAA says →2 articles from Global News on this story
Toronto Sun14 Nov

Flight disruptions continued at Toronto's Pearson International Airport on Saturday, despite the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration lifting a ground stop the previous evening. While some travelers reported smooth departures, several U.S.-bound flights from Pearson were delayed or canceled, including trips to Chicago, Detroit, and New York. Meanwhile, delays persisted for flights from the U.S. to Canada, with…

Flight disruptions persist at Pearson for incoming and outgoing U.S. bound traffic →2 articles from Toronto Sun on this story
Los Angeles Times14 Nov

The U.S. Department of Transportation is investigating the cause of a major air traffic control system failure that led to flight delays and cancellations across the country. The incident began when a contractor, L3Harris Technologies, was performing routine maintenance on outdated telecommunication equipment, causing an overload in the system’s routers. FAA Administrator Brian Bedford acknowledged the crisis and…

Airport nightmares continue as FAA struggles to pinpoint blame for historic meltdown →2 articles from Los Angeles Times on this story
The Globe and Mail14 Nov

The United States halted all civilian flights on Friday night due to a failure in its air traffic control system, causing Canadian airlines to cancel 720 flights and face potential millions of dollars in costs. Operations are expected to take until Tuesday to normalize, with at least 260 Canadian flights cancelled over the weekend. Aviation expert John Gradek notes that airlines are dealing with significant expenses…

Latest travel disruption could cost Canadian airlines millions, expert says →2 articles from The Globe and Mail on this story
The Blaze13 Nov

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop on all departing flights from U.S. airports on Friday afternoon due to a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that the stoppage was prompted by "extraordinary circumstances" and "reasons of safety" while technicians investigate the technical failure. The report frames this…

Nationwide GROUND STOP on all departing planes, says FAA →
Semafor13 Nov

The FAA issued a rare nationwide ground stop on Friday for all domestic flights due to a major outage in its air communications system. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin characterized the event as a telecommunication outage rather than a cyber or terrorist attack, though the duration of the order remains unspecified. This marks only the third time in history the agency has halted all flights, following…

FAA issues rare nationwide ground stop →
Euronews14 Nov

The FAA lifted a nationwide ground stop on Saturday morning following a "telecommunications outage" that halted all flights across the country on Friday. FlightAware reported over 8,860 cancellations on Friday and an additional 2,650 cancellations on Saturday, while US Transport Secretary Sean Duffy attributed the massive disruption to an "incredibly old" air traffic control system. This report highlights that…

Passengers continue to face delays and cancellations after US lifts nationwide ground stop →
Time14 Nov

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy attributed a nationwide ground stop on Friday to the installation of new fiber optic lines which disrupted critical communications at an FAA facility, resulting in about 7,500 flight delays and over 9,000 cancellations. Duffy called for $50 billion in funding to modernize air traffic control and airport infrastructure, highlighting issues with outdated equipment, staffing…

Air Traffic Control Systems Are Outdated. What’s Being Done to Prevent Another Outage? →

Where they agree and split

Agreed

AI · cited, from two or more outlets

  • The FAA ordered a nationwide ground stop halting departures at all U.S. airports.12
  • The disruption caused thousands of flights to be cancelled and delayed.34
Quoted from the coverage (4)

“All departing traffic should remain ground stopped until further notice,” an air traffic control advisory posted Friday says.

8 outlets

The FAA said international flights will be managed on a case-by-case basis.

8 outlets

Duffy said in a post that the FAA is working to modernize "this aging infrastructure thanks to a $12.5 billion down payment secured by President Trump, but that isn't ENOUGH." The Trump administration boosted its request for air traffic control funding to $50 billion late Friday.

6 outlets

"The current ground stop is not based on or a result of the SMART system, any product of ASI or our integration with FAA and ATC," the company said.

6 outlets

Disputed

Picked by our model, which is sometimes wrong

Was the cause of the outage determined?

old hardware: U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed old hardware for the air traffic control communications outage. Toronto Sun

unknown: "We haven't determined what the fault was," Duffy said, adding that officials had not yet established whether the contractor's work or the equipment itself was responsible. Just the News

Show 1 more

Was there a link to Microsoft?

no: Microsoft said it had no indication that the nationwide ground stop was related to the service disruption.

speculation: The statement came amid speculation about a possible link to Microsoft's 21-hour global outage, which was resolved earlier on Friday.

Framing

How the first headlines put it

  • The Daily Wire focuses on the FAA's decision to ground all flights, while The Guardian emphasizes the ongoing chaos after the ground stop was lifted.13
  • The Daily Mail highlights the impact on UK passengers, while Fox News focuses on the broader travel issues for those affected.27
Attributed to a source3
Stated as fact26
The headlines (29)

Nationwide ground stop ordered at airports: FAA ABC News · attributed to a source

Flights grounded across U.S. due to outage affecting air traffic control, FAA says CBC · attributed to a source

Nationwide GROUND STOP on all departing planes, says FAA The Blaze · attributed to a source

FAA imposes nationwide ground stop on all flights Washington Examiner · stated as fact

FAA issues national ground stop due to ‘extraordinary circumstances’ Global News · stated as fact

FAA issues nationwide ground stop on all departing flights Just the News · stated as fact

FAA Orders Nationwide Ground Stop At All U.S. Airports The Daily Wire · stated as fact

Ground stop ordered for all airports nationwide for ‘reasons of safety’ NBC News · stated as fact

Breaking: US aviation administration orders grounding of all flights ABC News (Australia) · stated as fact

All planes halted across US as FAA issues extremely rare nationwide ground stop over ‘extraordinary circumstances’ New York Post · stated as fact

FAA issues nationwide ground stop CBS News · stated as fact

US grounds all departing flights due to ‘extraordinary circumstance, safety reasons’ Sydney Morning Herald · stated as fact

Flights halted across U.S. as FAA cites ‘reasons of safety’ Toronto Star · stated as fact

LIVE: FAA issues nationwide ground stop after communications outage in US Al Jazeera · stated as fact

FAA issues nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports NPR · stated as fact

FAA Issues Nationwide Ground Stop, Halting All US Flight Departures Daily Caller · stated as fact

US FAA grounds all departing flights due to extraordinary circumstance, safety reasons The Straits Times · stated as fact

FAA issues nationwide ground-stop order, delaying or canceling nearly 7,000 flights The Guardian · stated as fact

All U.S. flight departures grounded due to communications problems Toronto Sun · stated as fact

FAA ground stop leaves College Football teams stranded on eve of crucial Saturday showdowns Fox News · stated as fact

FAA issues rare nationwide ground stop Semafor · stated as fact

New AI traffic control system is 'being looked at' as possible cause of airport ground stop: Live updates Daily Mail · stated as fact

All departing U.S. flights grounded due to communication outage The Hindu · stated as fact

US flight disruption: Air India flags possible delays to US-bound services Times of India · stated as fact

'We'll get home one day' - US travellers impacted by nationwide ground stop BBC · stated as fact

US grounds all flights for hours, sparking travel chaos Dawn · stated as fact

Passengers continue to face delays and cancellations after US lifts nationwide ground stop Euronews · stated as fact

All the London Heathrow and Gatwick flights cancelled amid US air traffic shutdown chaos Evening Standard · stated as fact

US ground stop live updates: Passengers stranded and thousands of flights delayed as FAA order lifted The Independent · stated as fact

Words to watch (5)

Chaos at US airports as flight stoppage grinds travel plans to a halt The Guardian

Traffic chaos chokes LAX runways as FAA issues nationwide ground stop over ‘extraordinary circumstances’ New York Post

A sudden FAA ground stop strands teams and throws the sports weekend into chaos Toronto Star

President Trump is silent on nationwide ground stop crisis... as he clears his weekend schedule and brags about his plan to 'save Hollywood' instead Daily Mail

Airport nightmares continue as FAA struggles to pinpoint blame for historic meltdown Los Angeles Times

The full story: what happened, how it changed, and all 205 articles →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 3% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

Story

FAA Ground Stop Disrupts Travel
Other · 205 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
37
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
3%
1 of 37 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
65/100
The Guardian's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
205
Other
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-11-15 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Guardian · 2415 article(s) · 7 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 7 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Guardian sport
41 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
An NFL official will work two games on the same day Sunday after the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights nationwide for several hours Friday, disrupting travel plans for professional and college teams across the country.
Standing there, outside what felt like an open-air prison, all I could think about was getting in to help,” he said in the post.
“Anytime Ayesha Curry shows up in your headline, I kindly suggest you just give the happy hands, congratulations, and maybe, just maybe, the apology can be as loud as y’all leading your shows with this topic.
The Raiders, who sit at 4-5, will throw the rookie straight into the deep end, with his first two scheduled NFL starts coming against two of the league’s toughest defenses in Seattle and Denver.
Dianna Russini will return to sports media with a weekly one-hour show focused on the NFL backed by offshore sportsbook BetUS, she announced Monday.
They will face Austria in another group-stage contest in Esbjerg on Monday.
The bottom two will play a relegation game.
In May, he signed a four-year contract extension with the Lions worth $81m.
Former World Series champion turned Republican politician Mark Teixeira will represent Texas’s 21st Congressional District in Washington after defeating Democrat Kristin Hook in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
“Preliminary indications are positive and out of respect for Jack and his family we will not share further information at this time.”
Also by Guardian sport
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 41 articles by Guardian sport →

Topics

NFL New Orleans the Federal Aviation Administration the Indianapolis Colts the Miami Dolphins’

Subjects

NBA ORG · 3× Cleveland ORG · 2× Gotham FC ORG · 2× Miami ORG · 2× NFL ORG · 2× New Orleans GPE · 2× Utah ORG · 2× Don Willard PERSON · 1× the Federal Aviation Administration ORG · 1× the Miami Dolphins’ ORG · 1×

Narrative

An NFL official will work two games on the same day Sunday after the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights nationwide for several hours Friday, disrupting travel plans for professional and college teams across the country.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-11-15
An NFL official will work two games on the same day Sunday after the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights nationwide for several hours Friday, disrupting travel plans for professional and college teams across the country.
2026-11-15 · The Guardian
NFL referee faces 112-mile dash on double-duty Sunday after FAA ground stop · assertive framing

Claims (37 extracted, 1 hedged)

An NFL official will work two games on the same day Sunday after the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights nationwide for several hours Friday, disrupting travel plans for professional and college teams across the country. asserted
Administration → work → country
Don Willard will officiate the Miami Dolphins’ game against the Indianapolis Colts at 1pm ET before traveling 112 miles east to work the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Sunday Night Football matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. asserted
Willard → officiate → Bengals
The NFL benefited from its Sunday schedule, with teams typically traveling the day before their games. asserted
teams → benefit → games
But Friday’s flight stoppage forced adjustments across the league’s officiating crews and elsewhere in American sports. asserted
stoppage → force → sports
The NBA also made changes to its officiating assignments as travel disruptions continued into Saturday. asserted
disruptions → make → Saturday
Brian Forte was added to the officiating crew for the Chicago-Minnesota game, replacing Jason Goldenberg. asserted
Forte → add → Goldenberg
Jenna Schroeder, meanwhile, replaced Forte for the Dallas-Cleveland game. asserted
Schroeder → replace → game
The Brooklyn-Memphis game brought Michael Smith into the three-person crew late in the afternoon after another referee could not get there in time. uncertain
referee → bring → time
Brent Barnaky and CJ Washington were added to the Denver-New Orleans game on Saturday night after officiating a game in New Orleans on Friday night. asserted
Barnaky → add → night
Two other referees had been assigned earlier Saturday. asserted
referees → assign → ?
Major sporting events slowly returned to normal Saturday after the nationwide ground stop, although teams across the country continued to grapple with its effects. asserted
teams → return → effects
Most college football teams playing Saturday travel the day before kickoff, and a number of games were delayed by hours to give visiting programs more time to arrive and prepare. asserted
number → play → time
No 2 Utah’s game at No 22 Arizona was pushed back three hours, as was Arizona State’s game at Central Florida. asserted
game → push → Florida
Other teams, like Auburn, opted for charter buses. asserted
teams → opt → buses
One way or another, most teams found a solution. asserted
teams → find → solution
There was, however, one major exception: the No 19 Mississippi game at Oklahoma was moved to Sunday, with kickoff scheduled for 1pm ET. asserted
kickoff → be → ET
JuJu Watkins and her third-ranked Southern California teammates had just boarded their flight to face top-ranked South Carolina when the ground stop was issued. asserted
stop → rank → Carolina
The Trojans women’s basketball team stayed in Los Angeles for the night after being deplaned, and their departure for Greenville was pushed to Saturday afternoon. asserted
departure → stay → afternoon
Fairleigh Dickinson women’s basketball coach Stephanie Gaitley found out late Friday night that her team’s flight to Ohio State had been canceled. asserted
flight → find → State
There was discussion about leaving immediately by bus and making a stop halfway, but Gaitley preferred to let her team get a better night’s sleep before setting out on a 10-hour bus ride on Saturday morning. asserted
team → be → morning
The Kansas City Current were supposed to depart Friday for their semi-final against Gotham FC on Sunday in New York. asserted
Current → suppose → York
The Current told ESPN they were “collaborating with key stakeholders, including the NWSL and our charter partner, to identify next steps in order to arrive safely ahead of our match against Gotham FC on Sunday”. asserted
they → tell → Sunday
There were 14 scheduled NHL games on Saturday, and the majority of teams made it to their destinations before the flight stoppage began. asserted
stoppage → be → destinations
The San Jose Sharks, who were left waiting to see whether they would be able to travel, arrived late Friday in Utah. asserted
they → leave → Utah
In the NBA, most teams were, at worst, mildly affected by Friday’s events. asserted
teams → affect → events
The Cavaliers started their Saturday much earlier than usual, leaving Miami at 8.54am on a plane taking them to Cleveland, where they were set to play the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night. asserted
they → start → night
The Cavs couldn’t get out of Miami on Friday night as planned after a game against the Heat that capped a three-game road trip, then scrambled to rebook some hotel rooms. asserted
that → get → rooms
NBA teams typically don’t fly on the morning of a game, but exceptions have been made for unusual situations. asserted
exceptions → fly → situations
Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell said he would have preferred Saturday’s game to be rescheduled, but noted the team would “make adjustments, figure it out and go from there.” asserted
team → say → it
“Back-to-back, three-hour flight, it was already a tough one,” Mitchell said. asserted
Mitchell → say → back
“But hey, they say we’ve got to play, we’ve got to play.” asserted
we → say → ?
Rescheduling the game against the Mavericks wasn’t an ideal option. asserted
Rescheduling → reschedule → Mavericks
Cleveland have a busy arena with a minor league hockey team, college games and other events scheduled; Saturday’s game falls in a stretch where the arena is playing host to events on 11 consecutive days. asserted
arena → have → days
“It’s part of it,” Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said. asserted
Atkinson → ’ → it
“You just adapt.” asserted
You → adapt → ?
The Cavaliers listed Mitchell, James Harden, Peyton Watson and Jarrett Allen as questionable on Saturday night’s injury report shortly after their flight landed in Cleveland. asserted
flight → list → Cleveland
All four started Friday’s game in Miami. asserted
four → start → Miami
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