Phil McKinnely

Philip Byron McKinnely is a former American football offensive tackle who played seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL), mainly for the Atlanta Falcons, and then in the United States Football League (USFL) for the Memphis Showboats and Birmingham Stallions. After retiring as a player, McKinnely became an American football official, working in college football's Southeastern Conference and NFL Europe before joining the NFL in 2002 as a head linesman. As an official, he wears uniform number 110 and was on the 2018 NFL officiating crew headed by referee Bill Vinovich that is famously known for a blatant non-call that would alter the course of the NFC Championship game, although he was replaced before the start of the game by Patrick Turner. McKinnely was not present in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome when the play happened. The missed pass interference call and helmet to helmet hit has called into question the league office’s integrity and stemming the wave of violent helmet hits to the head.