"Big" John McCarthy Not Granted Ref's License in Nevada

Veteran referee “Big” John McCarthy’s application to the Nevada State Athletic Commission for a license to officiate in the state was not immediately approved due to the number of referees already offciating in Nevada, according to Sherdog.

Nevada does “not anticipate adding any additional referees at this time.  We will place [McCarthy's] application in the pending file in case the situation changes,” Keith Kizer, executive director of the NSAC, wrote to McCarthy in a letter, according to Sherdog.

McCarthy retired from officiating in December 2007 to pursue a career in broadcasting, but returned to refereeing last year.  He has since refereed in California and, according to Sherdog, has maintained licenses in Ohio, Utah and jurisdictions in Canada.

McCarthy told Sherdog, “A license to referee or judge with an athletic commission – it’s not a right.  It’s a privilege. Everyone kept bringing up the fact that I wasn’t licensed in Nevada, so I said, ‘Alright, I’ll apply.’”