NFL Replacement Referees Have Compromised The Game's Integrity

[n2doc]

If you want to see the twenty-eight worst mistakes that NFL replacement referees made during Week 2, sports commentary website Deadspin has the breakdown. If there is interest in reading about all of the blunders in real time, just do a Twitter search of “replacement ref” and follow the myriad of tweets attacking the replacement referees’ decisions (or general indecision, which has been criticized for slowing down NFL games). A player slipped on a referee’s thrown hat in the end zone, a referee reportedly told Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy that he needed him to perform well for his fantasy football team, and multiple referees appear to be having trouble remembering how many timeouts remain for various teams.

The result of constant replacement referee missteps is an abundance of questions asking whether the integrity of the NFL game is in serious jeopardy. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines integrity as “firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values.” For a league that has been hell-bent to prevent the demise of its product, its hard-line approach in the ongoing negotiations with the NFL Referees Association is apocryphal.

The NFL is currently a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the State of New Jersey’s Governor, Assistant Attorney General, and Executive Director of the New Jersey Racing Commission, which seeks to prevent the state of New Jersey from establishing a sports gambling system. In 2009, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell explained that “NFL owners and players have worked hard from the league’s inception nearly 90 years ago to protect its integrity,” and thus, the NFL has taken the position that gambling on NFL games should be prohibited. Goodell’s stance has not changed since he first expressed that opinion.

Has the imposition of replacement referees compromised the character and integrity of NFL football? Arguably, the character and integrity of NFL football has been damaged (at least temporarily). Further, Roger Goodell’s stance on sports betting has become almost disingenuous. How can he claim that the spread of sports betting (which is completely legal in Nevada) threatens to irreparably damage the integrity of NFL football while he continues to employ replacement referees that are unjustly affecting the outcome of NFL games? If Goodell’s most important responsibility is maintaining integrity, then he has some explaining to do. The National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) agrees.

more

http://www.forbes.com/sites/darrenheitner/2012/09/23/nfls-replacement-referees-have-compromised-the-games-integrity-and-leagues-position-on-sports-betting/

[joeybee12]

1. KNR...and it's all about union busting...

Goodell is trying to be scummier than Selig.

[Auggie]

2. The league and the officials' union met Sunday ...

no report on what transpired. Meanwhile, some of the gaffes from Week 3:

• Referee Ken Roan said he twice granted 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh video challenges after Harbaugh called timeout in the fourth quarter. Neither challenge should have been allowed once Harbaugh asked for time.

• In the Lions-Titans and Bengals-Redskins games, officials marched off too much yardage on penalties.

• In Nashville, with 16 seconds remaining in regulation, Detroit's Shaun Hill threw to Nate Burleson on the sideline and he then lost the ball. It looked to be a completion then a fumble because the side judge threw his beanie, but another official ruled an incomplete pass. Titans CB Alterraun Verner had grabbed the ball and started to run and there were questions why the replay booth didn't review it.

• Raiders receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey was taken to the hospital with a neck injury after a helmet-to-helmet hit from Steelers safety Ryan Mundy that was not penalized.

More: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8418497/referees-mistakes-shaky-calls-week-3-themes

[JonLP24]

4. 1st quarter though they got the call right

Cardinals committed a hold on 1st down but the refs said Philadelphia accepted, (Cardinals committed a hold the play prior, it was a 1st & longer than 15 - Arizona was tackled in the back field on the play) but Andy Reid protested so the refs said "Philadelphia declines, 3rd 3rd & 24." Then Whisenhut got angry at the circle of referees. Brian Billick, the commentator, was complaining. "What is Whisenhut upset about? It's a clear hold!" He was complaining about the referees taking their time to make a call on something that is a clear and hold and he was blaming Whisenhut for taking up the refs time on a clear hold.

Then when the refs finally said, "2nd & 24." Brian Billick still didn't realize the point of contention from the Cardinals side was that the refs took a down away from them.

All this took a good 15 minutes.

[bluedigger]

3. Kind of ironic, all right.

Vegas must be going nuts over the results so far. If anybody needs "integrity" restored to the NFL, it's bookies.