Obama Disses Replacement Refs

By: Andres Macias, co-editor

Controversial call at Seahawks game

What is going on in the NFL? The NFL season has gone nearly 4 weeks now with their newly acquired referees and has drawn more than an efficient amount of criticism from many NFL fans.                                                                   

The normal game officials are in a current lockout due to a lack of pay in their perspective. Mark Maske from the Washington Post reported that the referees’ pension proposal calls for an annual league contribution of $38,500 per official while the league would rather eliminate that plan and replace it with a 401(k) plan.                                                                                                                    

Yahoo.com reports that a current official on the NFL roster was an ex-official in the LFL (Lingerie Football League) and was dismissed for poor performance and several missed calls during games.  Mitch Mortaza, (commissioner of the LFL), says the NFL “lowered” its standards on game officials.           

The replacement officials received even worse criticism this week when they were held responsible for the Green Bay Packers 12-14 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in a controversial last play of the game call.            

What should have been an interception by Packers’ M.D. Jennings was instead ruled a touchdown for the Seahawks in a last second hail mary pass. The one call cost the Packers a game and could potentially come back to haunt them later on in the playoff seeding.                                                                           

League spokesperson Greg Aiello confirmed Commissioner Roger Goodell “does not have authority to change the outcome of a game when it concerns judgmental errors or routine errors of omission by game officials.”

President Obama even chimed in after the Packers vs. Seahawks game and said on twitter, “NFL fans on both sides of the aisle hope the referees lockout is settled soon.”