Everything in the NFL is supposed to consistent of only the best. But with the dismal performances of some of these replacement officials, that standard is suddenly coming into question.
After Monday night's debacle in Seattle, the replacements' effort should come even further under fire. But it could be a report that surfaced after the Packers last-second loss that damages their reputation even more.
According to a report on Deadspin, the Lingerie Football League — or as we laypeople know it, the LFL — actually fired multiple officials who are now officiating in the NFL. The reason given? You guessed it, "incompetence."
The statement from the LFL to Deadspin, reads as follows:
"Because of the LFL's perception it is that much more
critical for us to hire officiating crews that are competent, not only
for the credibility of our game but to keep our athletes safer. Due to
several on-field incompetent officiating we chose to part ways with with
a couple crews which apparently are now officiating in the NFL. We have
a lot of respect for our officials but we felt the officiating was not
in line with our expectations.
"We have not made public comment to date because we felt it was not our place to do so. However in light of tonight's event, we felt it was only fair that NFL fans knew the truth as to who are officiating these games."
Talk about a shocking discovery. Well, not really. These officials have been horrid since the beginning of the preseason, and the fact that they've lasted this long seems to be much more a testament to the stubbornness of the NFL owners than the "high quality" of their work. So, I guess it's no wonder that they couldn't hack it in the ever-intense nature of the LFL.
The really shocking nature of the discovery is more so that the NFL would actually hire them in the first place. For a league that prides itself on integrity, credibility and honor, hiring such low-level officials to call these games is a real travesty.
The league needs to more thoroughly vet these replacements, if they are going to stay any longer. Then again, the more reasonable option would clearly seem to be for the real officials to make a triumphant return to the field. Either way, something needs to be done so that Monday night's abysmal ending may never happen again.
