25 Sep MNF Disaster in Seattle in Brings More Calls to End NFL Lockout of Refs
(This is a cross-post from the AFL-CIO NOW Blog written by Mike Hall)
If you were building a bridge, would you hire a work crew with a few hours of metal shop on their resumes, or trained and certifiedΒ Iron Workers? Would you go into surgery with someone who only has a CPR certificate, or a real doctor with a medical degree?
If youβre NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, or one of the 32 NFL team owners, you’d go with the newbie–at least it seems that way, given their decision to lock out professional NFL officials and instead use untrained, unprepared and in over-their-heads replacement referees.
Just look at last nightβs disaster in SeattleΒ where, according to 99.9 percent of the football world and the video tape, the refs absolutely blew a last-second callΒ thatΒ cost the Green Bay Packers a win over the Seahawks. The replacement refs threw 24 flags–some for nonexistent penaltiesβwhile missing obvious calls in a game they had no control over.
Ironically, the actions of the βClueless in Seattleβ replacement refsβmost of their experience has been in small college, minor league or high school footballβhave spurred even notorious Wisconsin anti-union Gov. Scott Walker (R) and Republican vice presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to call for the end to the lockout.