NFL won’t budge in its war over referees
League officials sticking with replacements, whose blown calls have enraged coaches, players and fans.
By RANDY COVITZ
The Kansas City Star
<a title="<br />Both coaches in the Ravens-Patriots game Sunday night made contact with the officials. New England’s Bill Belichick grabbed an official, asking whether the Ravens’ game –winning field goal was under review. It wasn’t. The Ravens won 31-30."
Randy Covitz, The Star
The brand power of the NFL needs more than one screw-up to affect it. “A couple more calls like this, and the public will start seeing the owners as greedy people who don’t care about the game any more.
“When Roger Goodell is setting out to bust the union to get what he wants, the trick is to show you can do better without the union. In this case he’s failing. He’s actually proving the union’s point that they’re needed.”
“That call was the call seen around the world, the laughable call around the world,” said Engelmayer. “Everyone knew that. The NFL’s becoming amateur hour. It’s not going to take much more to start eroding the fan base.”)
— Juda Engelmayer, senior vice-president for crisis management for 5W Public Relations in New York
