Tuesday, September 25, 2012

NFL costs Packers a game: Refageddon!

The outrage over the debacle at the end of the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks game continued through the night and is still going strong today. Not just among Packer fans, but nationwide. Just check out some of these choice Tweets and comments.

Bottom line is that the replacement referees hired by the NFL in its dispute with the regular refs blew the final and biggest call of the game, costing the Packers the game. There were certainly bad calls against both teams, although some of the biggest -- and the biggest of all -- went against the Packers.

What is being referred to as the worst call in NFL history -- Refageddon! -- should lead to an end to the lockout. But it won't. Despite calls from former players and coaches, sportswriters and fans to preserve the integrity of the game, integrity apparently stops at the bank. And the fact is that no matter how bad the referees are, and how their calls are already affecting standings, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and team owners know that like lemmings football fans will still show up to games and still turn on their TV sets. Heck, that's exactly what happened in the early 1980s when replacement players were on the field. Like drug addicts who will still use a product cut with garbage, we'll still watch games refereed by garbage. Now, this is not a slam of the refs as individuals. They just are not qualified to referee at this level and are being asked to do something they are not capable of doing. That's on the league and on the owners and the commissioner.

So, it's time to send your Tweets to @nflcommish and say enough is enough. It's time, football fans -- not just Packer fans -- to pick up the phone and call the NFL Commissioner's office. The number is 1-212-450-2027. Call. Now.

We have to be realistic though: the bad call will not be overturned. Instead, the league will issue a written statement later today with an explanation. It should be a good work of fiction, hanging onto the "simultaneous possession" line even though every angle of replay clearly shows there was no such thing at any point in the play. Ask a 4-year-old child to watch the replay and say who has the ball; he or she would know who had it and who didn't. Unfortunately, the game was not called by 4-year-olds. They would have gotten it right.

It's sickening as a Packer fan to have a game stolen like it was last night. Regardless of whether you are a Packer fan, a fan of another team, or just someone who enjoys sports in general, you know the Packers won the game...and it was taken away by incompetent officials. And the NFL itself through its greed.