FOXNews.com: Replacement refs, NFL both risk game's integrity

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Replacement refs, NFL both risk game's integrity Sep 26th 2012, 12:30 Monday night in Seattle, in the final moments of a game between the Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers, a controversial call by replacement referees awarded a touchdown to the Seahawks. After what we saw, I think that many fans all over America are sleepless.  Fans are worried and disappointed with the game they love. I don't blame them. They deserve better. The fans watch the games, they follow their teams, pay their money, and they don't like what they are seeing. Regular referees are involved in a labor dispute with the NFL and are locked out. There have been a number of controversies surrounding officiating in all sports over the years, and it becomes part of the legend of the game. In the NFL, "the holy roller," "the immaculate reception," and "the tuck rule," are all etched in the minds of football fans. How long of a life Monday night's episode will have remains to be seen. My guess is that this too shall pass. But the fact of the matter is, it should have never happened. The league said as much Tuesday in their press release which stated offensive pass interference should have been called, therefore ending the game.   The replacement officials on the field are doing their best, but this is not what they do, and they are overmatched by the speed of the game, the voluminous rule book, and lack of experience. The integrity of the game is sacrosanct. It is the pillar of what makes the games legitimate. The second that the public thinks the games are not, is the moment that the fascination that people have with the NFL will end. - Monday night was the culmination of a very bad weekend for the replacements who made a number of mistakes, which has lead to considerable frustration and anger from all corners.   There is a lack of respect for the replacements by the players and the coaches who know that they are not up to the task, so they seek to take advantage of the situation. This lack of respect is only making matters worse. The player and coaches who are creating more chaos are the same ones complaining about the lack of policing. As for the league's position on the lockout, here is the basic summary of their position, as put out Monday in a letter to the teams: "Game officials on average earned almost $150,000 in 2011. Prior to the start of the lockout, we proposed a 7-year deal that would have increased average game official's compensation more than 7 percent to just over $161,000 in 2012, and further increase that average to more than $189,000 by 2018. In addition, we have offered a generous defined contribution retirement plan, with average contributions of $16,500 in 2012, increasing to more than $22,300 per game official by 2018. Officials also receive numerous other benefits, including severance equal to one year's game fees and postseason bonus, a period of guaranteed 'time off' from the end of the season through mid-may of each year, first-class air travel, and partial reimbursement for medical insurance for officials who do not have insurance through their other jobs." The league sees this as a very fair offer. And with all of the economic problems that our country is suffering with, what is so bad about a $161,000 dollars for part time work which entails only 20 weekends, a little prep time, as well as a pension and benefits? Do you know how many people would love to have this job?  But that's a large part of the problem. All of the regular officials hold full time jobs, so they can afford to holdout with no sense of urgency as their main pay checks continue to flow. This puts the league in a difficult position, of having to negotiate with a group that is not dependent on the work.  However, as we have seen the last seven weeks, not just anyone is capable of performing these tasks at a high level out on the field. So the officials are valuable. They are missed and they are needed.  But the regular officials need to get realistic and remember they are being very well compensated for a part time job. The officials seem to be saying that, because the league is generating billions and billions of dollars in revenue, they should be sharing in that. And they are.  But the officials are not the game. Not to diminish them, but to be fair, no one has ever paid one penny to go to a game to watch the guys with the yellow flags. A few days ago I read the NFL players association letter to the NFL owners, which stated that there is, " a deterioration of order, safety, and integrity to the game." While it deals in much rhetoric, the element of integrity is what is most important.  The integrity of the game is sacrosanct. It is the pillar of what makes the games legitimate. That's why there are so many rules in place that insure that the games are honest and fair. The second that the public thinks the games are not, is the moment that the fascination that people have with the NFL will end. I also heard DeMaurice Smith, the head of the players union, talking in an interview about how awful things are regarding this lockout. He may be right. He also has the power to do something about it. Smith is not permitted to call a strike unless he feels that federal law, which allows employees to strike due to "dangerous work conditions," is being broken. The letter the players association sent to the owners says that player safety is a problem. So why doesn't he order the players to strike, to take a stand, since it is so dangerous and safety is such an issue?  Let's see how many players are willing to stand with their referee brethren and miss a few pay checks.  I imagine that there would be zero support for that, and my guess is at that point, the replacements will do just fine, however flawed they maybe. It is not as if the regular officials don't make errors. They do. All the time. And when they return, they will have an even finer microscope on them. After 15 hours of mediation over the weekend failed to bridge the gap, as well as a session on Monday, perhaps what happened in Seattle will open the eyes on each side that damage is being done to the game we all love.   All concerned should keep one thing in the forefront of their minds: the fans deserve better. Everyone needs to take a step back, and end this self inflicted wound. Jim Gray is a sportscaster and Fox News contributor.

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