Replacement referee claims they saved the whole NFL season
SEATTLE - It's a ruling that grabbed headlines across the country and became a national obsession for a few days.
Nobody has had anything good to say about the replacement referees who have been cast in the role of incompetent villains since a disputed touchdown call on the final play gave the Seattle Seahawks a victory over the Green Bay Packers on national television Monday night.
Reaction to the call was fast and furious.
"It was awful, just look at the replay," said Aaron Rodgers, quarterback for the Green Bay Packers.
"I've never seen anything like this in all my years of football," echoed Packers head coach Mike McCarthy.
But now - one of those replacement referees says they saved the whole NFL season.
Mike Peek, a community college teacher in Texas, has more experience than most of his fellow fill-ins - 13 years of Division I college refereeing. He was at Monday night's Seahawks-Packers game, but he didn't make the controversial call and won't second-guess those who did.
Now he's speaking out for the first time.
"To see the game fall apart at the end, it was really one of those things - it'd make you want to go back in the back room and cry a few tears," says Peek. "Somebody asked me if it's a good call or bad call - it depends on where you live. You know, the replacement refs, we were at the mercy of the crowd."
And at the mercy of the nation - even earning a skit on Saturday Night Live.
Despite the outrage and ridicule, Peek says the replacement refs have plenty to be proud of.
"We did what we had to do. We kept the league afloat during the pre-season and during the first few weeks of the regular season," he says.
As for the standing ovation when the real refs returned Thursday, he says, "You know, they're the heroes now. They are the stars, they are the saviors of the game. I wish them well, I hope they have a great season."
The NFL's referees union agreed to an eight-year labor contract that ended the three-month lockout.
Where they worse than the regular refs? Yes.
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Were they as bad as the fans and media made them out to be? No.
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They were scrutinized far more than any other refs in history. The regular refs miss a tons of calls as well. The Packers game this weekend was yet another example of that. People forget how we complained about the regular refs before. And, if it had been the Seahawks losing to the Packers on that call rather than the other way around, I doubt it would have received nearly as much attention as it did.
They did, if it wan't for the Seattle call we would still be stuck with them. We are not, so I guess they did save the season.
Sure didn't look like the real refs at the Packers game this weekend. Fumbled balls, calling them not fumbled, fumbled balls calling them not fumbled, fumbled balls.....................it was like they were out to get the Packers again!!!!!!
Despite the outrage and ridicule, Peek says the replacement refs have plenty to be proud of."We did what we had to do. We kept the league afloat during the pre-season and during the first few weeks of the regular season," he says.
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All too true. Now if the replacment referees had not been on the job, there would have been no games to bicker over. It would have been nice actually to not have any games for awhile. Then they could all have gotten their priorities straight.
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Now back to your regular programming...
Yea sure. Many of them were refs that were fired from the Lingerie Football League.
Sure they saved the day, if you like scabs.. That's what they were always called when you take someone else's job in this manner... I wouldn't be proud of it !
Replacement officials can now go back to the middle school games they might (!) be good at. Bring on the professionals officiating at professional games for those of us professional fans!
They made game day interesting. You ever knew what was going to happen.
I'm not sure who wrote the headline or if there are more quotes in this story that aren't here, but the replacement ref said he and the others kept the league afloat during the pre-season and first few weeks of the regular season, which is true. No refs=no games.
Nowhere does he say that the replacement refs "saved the whole NFL season". Again, if that quote by him was omitted, than shame on who wrote the article. If it was never in the article, then shame on whomever wrote the headline as it is purposefully misleading.
 @stephcra  Welcome to the new world of "journalism" where they make and massage the facts to gain readers and manipulate the public. It explains how one of the worst presidents in history, who has completely botched the recovery, will probably get reelected by a comfortable margin.
 @Scotty9  @stephcra Unfortunately, due to the liberal lame stream media, you are probably right. Whatever happened to just reporting the news without a liberal or conservative spin put on it. Where is Walter Conkrite (sp?) when you need him?