My Favorite Cigar
Dean Blandino • Football Rules Analyst • Cohiba Robusto
Dean Blandino spent more than 20 years working for the NFL, starting as an intern out of college, helping develop the coaches’ instant-replay system (which was introduced to the league in 1999) and later serving as vice president of officiating for the $20 billion organization. Today, he can be seen on Sundays on Fox, offering his expert insight on the oft-confusing NFL rulebook, giving guidance on how a call might go during football games.
But the man who has made his living by following the rules didn’t follow the letter of the law when he smoked his first cigar around 30 years ago. He was hanging out with friends, and the smokes they puffed were purloined. “Someone stole a box from their father’s collection,” he says. “Had no idea what I was doing.”
Now that he’s of age (and knows a lot more about how to properly enjoy a good handmade cigar), he smokes them regularly. “I like to sit outside, usually late afternoon in my backyard with a drink and a cigar,” says the 54-year-old. “It’s nice and quiet and I can just decompress from the day.” Cuban Cohibas are his smoke of choice. The Robusto is his favorite size.
