Report: former Atlanta Falcons offensive lineman Bob Whitfield is umpiring in retirement

Former Atlanta Falcons offensive lineman Bob Whitfield will always be a fan favorite. After all, he pushed around a lot of defensive players in the 1990s. For that, I'll always appreciate him.

For you younger Falcons fans, Whitfield is a beast of a man (6'6 and 320 pounds) that the Falcons drafted 8th overall in the 1992 NFL Draft. He played for the Falcons until 2003 and retired in 2006. He was a rabid supporter of the head-butt, a lesser known and controversial blocking technique that's fallen out of favor with league officials. But now, in retirement, Whitfield is the one keeping players in line.

"When I started a few years back I was an umpire, so I was right in the middle of the field,'' he said. "I am still bigger than these high school linemen and I am making more tackles than the middle linebacker. I am so big, players would run into me. One kid hit me and said, ‘You OK?' I said, ‘Kid, don't worry about me, are you OK?'''

That's right, it's Whitfield that's teaching the next generation of football players how to play by the rules. Scary concept, eh?