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| Referee Wayne Elliott (28) speaks with field judge Richard Simmons (102) before making a ruling on a call between the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks during the fourth quarter at CenturyLink Field. (Joe Nicholson-US PRESSWIRE) |
The replacement NFL officials have posed big problems for the players, fans and the league.
The referees have not only made mistakes in calling the games, they have also endangered players. One instance happened just this past Sunday when a referee tossed his hat as a signal during a play. Normally, the hat would land right in front of the official's feet but it landed in the endzone instead, right in the path of a sprinting Dallas Cowboys receiver, Kevin Ogletree. Ogletree slipped on the hat but was, fortunately, not harmed.
Then came Monday night. The close game between the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks came down to the final play. Former N.C. State quarterback, Russell Wilson, threw a Hail Mary to the endzone. It clearly looked as if the Packers defense had caught the ball for an interception but the referee signaled touchdown for the Seahawks; and that is how the game ended: with the Seahawks winning.
This game was the last straw for many fans, including those who were not necessarily fans of the two teams involved. The game also gave an opportunity for many news outlets to investigate the origins of these replacement referees. One such news outlet, Fox Sports, gave a revealing report on the exact back stories of the officials in this game.
We find out that some of the referees have had, at least, a little bit of college officiating experience. Some have even had a little bit of NFL experience. What stuck out was how the official who made the call Monday night, Lance Easley, had no real experience in officiating big games such as this. In fact, Fox reports that Easley is Vice President of Small Business Banking at Bank of America and has only officiated high school and junior college games.
Although we do not know who exactly, Fox also reported that two of the officials on that crew were fired from the Lingerie Football League for the very thing they are being accused of now: poor officiating. It is hard to say who should be blamed for all this but one thing is clear: the NFL needs to have its original referees back for the sake of its players, fans and itself.
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