Will we see Walt Anderson again this morning?

In a surreal turn of events during Week 8’s Raiders vs Lions game, the NFL made a unique move that has left fans wondering if it will happen again in Week 9.

For the first time ever, the NFL brought its head of officiating, Walt Anderson, into a live broadcast. Anderson appeared from 345 Park Avenue to defend a non-call of roughing the passer, despite ESPN rules analyst John Parry suggesting that grounding should have been called.

The following day, the league offered a vague explanation for why Anderson was activated during the broadcast. Was it a direct response to Parry’s criticism? Or was it the breaking point for a league office that has been bombarded with complaints about the quality of officiating this season? Just a day earlier, Steelers receiver Diontae Johnson even claimed that officials were being bribed.

Unless Anderson will continue to make appearances to address controversial calls or provide clarification, the most plausible explanation is that someone high up in the NFL headquarters grew tired of the constant criticism and decided to make a statement after Parry’s remarks.

However, this was not the right move. In fact, it was the wrong move. By activating Anderson, the NFL inadvertently created an expectation among the audience that this would be a new era of transparency. When Anderson doesn’t show up again today, tonight, or tomorrow (if that’s the case), it will only confuse the audience.

If that happens, the league will be relying on the audience to view the sighting of Walt Anderson as a rare occurrence, like catching a glimpse of a hummingbird outside the kitchen window. It’s there for a moment, and then it’s gone. And who knows when or if it will ever return?

Regardless, the next game is about to begin, and it will be exclusively televised on NFL Network. If there ever was a game for Anderson to make another appearance, this would be it.