The Lincoln Parish Journal had an opportunity to catch up with Ruston’s own Max Causey and find out his thoughts on the experience of refereeing his very first Super Bowl after just his third year in the league. NFL officials are not allowed to conduct media interviews in season so this is the first interview post-Super Bowl that Max has given.
LPJ: Congratulations on the honor of being selected to officiate in your first Super Bowl, Max. How did the Super Bowl differ for you from any normal NFL game?
Max: “There were a lot more activities and build-up prior to the game than a normal NFL game. We got into town three days before the game, where normally we come in the day before. We had different functions: dinners, a coin toss walk-through where we practiced the entire coin toss. The Super Bowl is kind of its own animal, which is really cool and fun and a ton of planning and hopefully good execution goes into it.
“From an experience standpoint, it was amazing. We got to meet a lot of cool people. New Orleans was awesome. The law enforcement presence there was so comforting. We just had a lot of fun in the city. It felt like the perfect city to host the Super Bowl because everything is walkable, the food was great, and the people were so friendly. It was a ton of fun.”
LPJ: How about the game itself? It can’t just be another game, right? How did you approach it?
Max: “I sought out advice from people who had worked (a Super Bowl) before. Most of them told me, ‘Hey, there is going to be a buildup. You will feel nerves. But once the game starts, it will feel like a regular football game.’ And I think it did. Once the game kicked off, it felt like a normal game because I’m going through my initial responsibilities and my keys. I’m counting players. I’m just doing all the things that I do during a game. So, I really didn’t get caught up in the hoopla of everything.
“Before the game, our timeline was very different. NFL games are very structured, and that starts three hours before the game. We know exactly what we are doing all along the way. I love that. I am a very structured person. So, to get into that routine and stay in that routine, I thrive in that. The timeline was extremely different in terms of when we met with the coaches. When we came off the field. How much time we sat in our locker room. So that made it different. But I do feel like once the game kicked off, it was a regular game.”
LPJ: As one of the first NFL referees to call a Super Bowl with just three years of experience, did you feel extra pressure?
Max: “I would like to say no, but if I am being honest, I would say yes. I like to read news about teams and be informed about what they are doing. So, I pay attention to what is being written out there. I couldn’t help but see a couple of things written (about my lack of experience compared to most Super Bowl referees). That added to the pressure. Just the responsibility that I felt in the sense of wanting to represent our staff well in the game, and wanting the game to be about the players and not us … There was that added element to it.”
LPJ: There was an article written where a couple of prominent media members that previously worked in the NFL office questioned the league changing the rule where a Super Bowl referee must be at least a five-year veteran. This allowed both you and Mike Morton to be on this year’s crew. When you read that, what did you do or think?
Max: “I internalized it. Haters have always fueled me. I was using it as fuel to prove a point or prove that I belonged. Not to overdramatize it. My wife always reminds me that I’m not a player. I am just an official and I am just there to manage the game. I definitely have that mindset. But I have always used haters throughout my sports career as fuel. So, there was an element of that and there was an element of added pressure. But once the game kicked off, I wasn’t thinking about that.
“It was maybe used in that moment once I read it in the few hours leading up to the game but once the game kicked off it was just a normal game.”
LPJ: You got a chance to interact and take a photo with another former Louisiana Tech alum in Terry Bradshaw who was part of the broadcast crew. I assume you already know Terry, but what was that like?
Max: “I got to touch base with Terry on Friday at the coin toss walk through. They were there doing their preparation and practice for their broadcast down on the field. So, I was able to connect with them and he asked if we could take a photo on Sunday. The timing just worked as I saw him as I was heading off the field. I waved to him, and we were able to take a photo. It was one of the highlights of the week for sure.
“I had to introduce myself. He didn’t recognize me. But once I introduced myself and told him the (Louisiana Tech) connection, he certainly knew who I was.”
LPJ: Now that you have called one Super Bowl, how motivated are you to do another one? You were able to accomplish a lifelong goal, but as a competitor, how much do you want to do another one?
Max: “I agree with that. I am hyperaware that I could go for the rest of my career and not get another Super Bowl assignment, and there would be zero bitterness if that was the case. I understand it’s a competitive business that we are in and there are a lot of great officials out there in the NFL. That being said, yes, having that experience was a lot of fun and to get to do it on the biggest stage at the pinnacle of our sport … I think I would be a fool to say that I don’t want to do it again.”
LPJ: Obviously, your dad, John Causey, isn’t around to see you get to do this. But he would be proud, wouldn’t he?
Max: “For sure. He was my biggest fan. My grandmother was probably my second biggest fan, so I definitely had thoughts of them that day. And certainly, they would be proud.”
LPJ: Does your 12-year-old son Barnes think you are a big deal now? What do your kids think?
Max: “My son (Barnes) was way more excited about getting to be in close proximity to some superstars and some famous people than being around me. He got to enjoy that experience. I think he appreciates maybe the access that I am able to give him, but at the end of the day, I’m still just dad.”
LPJ: Is it challenging to call a game of this magnitude with a bunch of men who you haven’t worked with all year?
Max: “I think it has the potential to be challenging, but we had a referee in Ron Torbert who is an incredible leader. He made sure we were all on the same page. We all had the same mindset and philosophy going into that game and we talked about a lot of things during the weeks leading up to the game. I was communicating with my line judge all during those weeks on how we would manage certain things and the positions we needed to be in. So, when we came to New Orleans, and we had already discussed some of those things and then we discussed it together in person as a group … I think it was pretty seamless.”
LPJ: When you got the assignment, did your peers reach out to you?
Max: “Yes, and I was very humbled by it. It’s a tight community that we have. I was getting calls and texts from NFL officials, college officials, guys I worked in high school with. I was able to get tickets for my high school referee and umpire from my very first high school crew, John Curtis Jr. and Frank Griffin. They came down and we were able to have lunch before the game. That was neat. A lot of people reached out before the news hit. I had about an hour after I was initially informed before it came out publicly. So, I was ablet to internally process it and share it with my family and friends before the news came out. It was a crazy few hours that day after getting that call.”
LPJ: Anything else you want to say about your experience?
Max: “I kind of relate getting this assignment to the gospel of Christ … I was chosen by God to be a part of His Kingdom forever, not because of good works that I have done but solely because of His grace. In the football officiating sense, yes, I had a great season but as I’ve said I was not the only one at my position deserving of this honor and I was chosen by someone in authority for reasons I may never know. To get this selection was truly an honor and very humbling to understand there were others who were equally as deserving. The phrase I keep using to describe my experience is incredibly grateful.”
