So a play that landed a player in the hospital gets no flag and now an interception becomes a touchdown to end the game. When will it end? Well if New Jersey Senate has it their way, it will end when they say it will. This made me so proud of being from New Jersey!
The New Jersey State Senate President wants to prohibit any professional games that involve replacement referees. Stephen Sweeney said that these officials do not know what they are doing and are putting players in jeopardy. “This past weekend in the NFL has not only made a mockery of a great sport, but shined a very bright light on how important fully trained and professional officiating is to player safety,” said Sweeney. “We wouldn’t allow a factory or construction site to operate without fully trained supervisors on hand to ensure the safety of employees. Why should we do anything differently when the job site is a playing field?”
New York Giants’ players Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka who play in New Jersey have come out and expressed their feelings on the subject. “Player safety,” Kiwanuka said. “Rule No. 1. That I think has to be the most important thing. I don’t think you can levy tens of thousands of dollars, maybe even hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines in a week against players talking about ‘player safety this, player safety that’ and not have it be officials who can account for it. Because we’re human at the end of the day and if you let people get away with stuff they’re going to continue to do it.” Neither player blamed the referees for the situation, but it does not make it right. “I am not necessarily mad at the replacement officials,” Tuck said. “I am more upset with the NFL for not handling this and taking care of this in due time I guess. I think the replacement officials are doing their best in a very sticky situation for them and you got to go out and play the game.” So maybe the only way to get the real referees back is to shut football down.
How many times can we watch players get knocked unconscious on the field and there be no penalty? How many games have to be ruined by a bad call? The only way to show Roger Goodell that this is an issue that needs to be addressed is by not turning the game on. However, everyone still wants to watch the game. So what are fans to do? What are players to do who don’t think it is fair to them? Maybe replacement players and replacement coaches and call this season a wash? If only someone knew the answer, oh wait Roger Goodell does… PAY THE REFEREES!
