Early years Blandino grew up in
Bellmore, New York, where he played
tight end on the high school football team at
Wellington C. Mepham High School. He majored in communications at
Hofstra University, In August 2014, Blandino was criticized for being seen on a "party bus" with
Dallas Cowboys executives in a video released by
TMZ. Blandino left the NFL in May 2017.
Post-NFL career Blandino joined
Fox Sports in June 2017 as a
rules analyst for the network's
NFL and
college football coverage. In May 2018, Blandino took on an additional role, as director of
instant replay for
NCAA football; the role has an offseason focus, to allow him to continue broadcasting. Blandino was also an officiating consultant for the
Alliance of American Football, and is a contributor to
The Athletic. He was the
executive producer of
Her Turf, a 2018 documentary about three female
football referees. On January 6, 2020, Blandino was hired by the
XFL to be the league’s head of officiating. ==Personal life==