An FAA ground stop just forced the NFL into an unprecedented move: assigning one official to referee two games in two different states on the same day. With thousands of flights canceled nationwide, the league tapped Don Willard to pull rare double duty on Sunday, something no NFL official is known to have done before.

Willard, along with his crew, umpire Terry Killens, field judge Jabir Walker, and side judge Justin Larrew, will start their day by officiating the Miami Dolphins-Indianapolis Colts game, as per reports. This game will kick off at 1 p.m. ET at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indiana.

But this won’t be the end of duties for Willard and his crew. The crew will then go to Cincinnati, Ohio, by road, which would be a 110-mile drive, to call the Pittsburgh Steelers-Cincinnati Bengals game for Week 10’s Sunday Night Football at Paycor Stadium.

Normally, the travel time between the two stadiums takes around two hours, with no time zone difference between the two venues. Keep in mind that Willard is not officially a head referee, but a side judge.

He is also not the only backup referee set to call games in the head referee position. Umpires Duane Heydt and Barry Anderson will also serve as the head referees and are set to officiate the Carolina Panthers-New Orleans Saints and the Jacksonville Jaguars-Tennessee Titans games, respectively.

This has been possible due to one of the league’s practices throughout the year.

“Each of the league’s 17 officiating crews has a backup referee identified, and that individual trains throughout the year to work at the referee position should the need arise,” the NFL stated, according to ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter.

But what is the reason for the FAA to halt air travel? According to the NFL, the FAA has stopped flights for several hours on Friday as transportation officials have said that there have been “‘extraordinary circumstances’ caused by communications issues at regional air traffic control centers.”

“Trump administration officials said Friday that new technology being added to the nation’s air traffic control system overloaded antiquated parts of it and caused ‘intermittent’ communications and radar gaps, leading to the longest nationwide ground stop in 25 years,” the NFL wrote.

In consequence, more than 2,000 flights were canceled, with the Airlines recovering from the longest ground stop in 25 years, with the last communications and radar gap problems occurring since the September 11, 2001, attacks.

The league appointed referees to the games based on driving distance from the officials’ hometowns. As for Willard, this will be his first game officiating as the head referee. Willard has been part of the officiating family for nine years now and has officiated in six playoff games. He usually is a side judge for Scott Novak’s crew.

That tight turnaround brings massive pressure, especially with the Steelers and Bengals battling for the AFC North lead in primetime. Any traffic delay or fatigue could disrupt the crew’s rhythm, which is a scenario where the league’s built-in backup referee rule would immediately kick in if Willard misses the second kickoff.

In another game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers, the referee has been changed from John Hussey to Clete Blakeman. Amid the flight being canceled, the NFL isn’t the only league being affected by the FAA ground stop, as Willard is set to head in two games.

FAA ground stop has affected other leagues amid Don Willard’s bizarre situation

Willard, who will be officiating for the first time ever in an NFL regular-season game, will find it difficult to manage time and will work tirelessly ahead of the two games. But other leagues and conferences have also faced problems alongside the NFL.

“We’re going to allow for general aviation, those larger movements, to take place as a priority. Smaller movements will take lower priority,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said after the ground stop was lifted Friday night in Washington.

“We’re going to allow for general aviation, those larger movements, to take place as a priority. Smaller movements will take lower priority,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said after the ground stop was lifted Friday night in Washington.

Ahead of the stop, the Southeaster Conference stated that the “safety and well-being of student-athletes, coaches and team personnel remain our highest priority.” Texas and Tennessee both had to return to their campuses following the stoppage.

The Cleveland Cavaliers played Miami on Friday and will now fly on Saturday morning instead of Friday, just eight hours before a home game against the Dallas Mavericks.

“It’s part of it. You just adapt,” Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson said. It has surely been hectic for the NFL and the other leagues, but amid the chaos, Willard sets out to achieve a milestone in his career.