A botched call handed the Seahawks a controversial win over the Packers
NFL replacement officials are under fire yet again for making a controversial call during the Packers-Seahawks game yesterday on Monday Night Football. On fourth and 10 with eight seconds left, a Hail Mary pass intended for Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate was ruled a touchdown and not an interception by Packer’s safety, M.D. Jennings. This put the Seahawks ahead 14-12 handing them the victory over Green Bay.
The ball appeared to be caught by Jennings, which is why Packer fans are feeling stunned and a bit bitter this morning. Tate seemed to latch onto the ball as the players crashed to the turf and replacement ref Lance Easley signaled the touchdown. Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said “They called it a simultaneous catch. Tie goes to the runner. It gave us an extraordinary win.” An extraordinarily lucky one, that is.
Packer’s coach Mike McCarthy had little to say, careful not to speak out about the seemingly blind refs due to the NFL’s warning. McCarthy said “I was told M.D. Jennings had the ball. I’ve never seen anything like that in all my years in football.”
Packer’s quarterback Aaron Rodgers felt similarly saying, “It was awful. Just look at the replay. And then the fact that it was reviewed, it was awful. That’s all I’m going to say about it.”
This game put the Packers behind with record of 1-2 while Seattle grabbed their second consecutive win, leaving them with a 2-1 record. Of course this is good news for the Chicago Bears who are now one game ahead of the Packers in the NFC North.
The NFL community took to Twitter, not shy about expressing their opinions regarding the controversy. Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman tweeted “These games are a joke.” Even NBA MVP LeBron James put in his two cents saying “I simply just LOVE the NFL too much to see these mistakes. I’m sick like I just played for the Packers.”
Packer’s player T.J. Lang wasn’t holding back about voicing his feelings via Twitter either. He said “Got [expletive] by the refs…embarrassing. Thanks NFL. Any player/coach in Seattle that really thinks they won that game has zero integrity as a man and should be embarrassed.”
Unfortunately, bad officials won’t end this lockout. As long as people continue to watch and give the network great ratings, the NFL really has no reason to push a deal with the refs. However, their controversial calls are causing many to change the channel.
