Bad Officiating vs. Rigged NFL

[RamFan503]

The average NFL ref makes 27k. They literally depend on other jobs.

Not even close. Most NFL refs have "other jobs" but it is because they are generally no where near retirement age and have half the year to do other things. NFL refs ON AVERAGE back in 2019 made more than $200k . It's a simple falacy.

If the NFL were a sport under anti-trust, Goodell couldn't have unilaterally decided to destroy the evidence.

You are co-mingling issues in anti-trust. The courts did not decide and the NFL did not argue that they were not a sport. The league argued that they were a sports league operating as a single unit of 32 teams in the entertainment industry. The idea of being a sport or entertainment has little to nothing to do with this. The NFL enjoys exemptions to anti-trust laws because they are a league and need to operate as a league or it simply doesn't work. Where you are right is that Goodell was not required to hand over that evidence largely because the league has voluntarily put him in the position to essentially be sole arbitrator until they decide as a unit that he is no longer fit to do so. It is more akin to a CEO deciding if a company policy was violated.

The NFL needs to put a ref in the booth and have them correct bad calls and non-calls, more so than what they are doing now. It's a bad look for the league. And while I don't necessarily believe they're rigging anything, I can't dismiss the refs engaging in bad conduct after what happened with Tim Donaghy and the NBA.

I honestly don't understand why they haven't done this. The NFL showed that they can quickly determine if a call was missed, catch made, etc... as they did it in the playoffs with virtually the same thing you are suggesting. I'm not suggesting you stop after every play. And things like the first Eagles TD probably might not have changed as they got the snap off so quickly. But there was clear and solid proof that this could be done with virtually no interruption of the game.

And I'm sorry but there is no reason not to apply this to penalties. So the fuck what if you hurt some feelings of a few refs - or all of them for that matter. Maybe it would light a fire under their asses to do a better job.

while I agree on the ref in the booth, let's look at this from the refs on the field perspective.

You're a 15 year vet and after all this time all of a sudden somebody else starts telling you you are doing your job wrong , reversing calls you have made hundreds of times. Their egos would take a big hit and
there would be a constant turnover in officiating personnel as the more experienced ones would start retiring.

Let me get this straight. I'm a 15 year vet making a quarter mil a year for 5 months of work where I really only work weekends. And if I'm good at my job, I can make another $50 - $150 grand to add a few weeks to my work year. In my other job, I'm an attorney, a HS principal, or a business owner, etc... I'm going to quit my NFL gig because someone is real time grading my work? If that is enough of a hit to their ego to make them quit, maybe that is a good thing. I'm guessing there are a shit ton of well qualified college refs that would jump at the opportunity just opened up.

Sometimes I think it would be better to just let refs call the game and live with the results all the reviews and replays and challenges haven’t gotten us anywhere.

There's that. It seems odd to me that we can have replay but can only review certain things.

My suggestion would be to get rid of "instant" replay and have the boys upstairs jump in when there is an obvious missed call. Don't make the coaches throw the red flag. And if the opposing team can snap the ball before the play is reviewed, more power to them.

 

[RamFan503]

I’m so right that if you don’t agree with me you are useless in my eyes. What discussion was meant to be had in this thread? Weird and aggressive way to state your opinion.

Yeah... That's kinda the way I read it too.

 

[dieterbrock]

Couple of points to add,
1) Comparing the antics of Tim Donaghy, and the NBA in general to the NFL is akin to comparing an apple to a polar bear.
Donaghy was a sick compulsive gambler who basically stole from his employer. He acted on his own and was in no way endorsed by the NBA.
2) NFL refs dont report to the NFL directly. The have their own union who has collectively bargained for them. Why dont they talk to the media? Because the union doesnt want them available to do so. And frankly, neither do the players. What sport actually does allow refs/judges to speak to media after event? I cant think of any press conference after a game. They are "part time" (although I think they are actually contractors) because they only perform 1 game per week during the season. Only "work" 6 months out of the year. There is no extended spring training, winter ball, summer league etc for them to "work". Its silly to think they should be sitting in a classroom or whatnot for 6 months waiting for the season.
3) The "where there's smoke there's fire" theory. Yup, with social media and the multitudes of wanna be detectives, and conspiracy theorists, how is there not 1 person after all these years that decides to "fess up" or maybe spill the beans to a loved one, co-worker etc about the inner workings? Even a single rogue ref would surely slip up somewhere to someone dying to expose a "truth". No smoke=no fire

 

[HitStick]

I think the NFL knows a good story line when it sees one, haha.

If that were true and they thought “brother vs brother” was better than “player dies on the field, is saved, and team rally’s to win a superbowl” then I really hope the nfl never starts writing Hollywood movies

 

[gabriel18]

I can’t make the reach that the games are rigged. I could see one or two refs lean towards what they want. I think they are just that incompetent , and getting worse everyday

 

[AvengerRam]

Weird and aggressive way to state your opinion.

I agree…but I forgive you.

 

[AvengerRam]

Yeah... That's kinda the way I read it too.

I’d love to know what part you found overly aggressive. Certainly not the part where I criticized PFT (aka Florio).

 

[snackdaddy]

I'm pretty sure most people who claim the NFL is rigged don't actually believe it. Think about how hard it would be to conceal it. Almost impossible. There would have to be hundreds, possibly thousands of people involved. Pretty much every ref crew. The league office. Likely owners too. And some subordinates.

Every single one of these people would have to keep quiet about it. Not tell family members. Even ones who are no longer associated with the NFL. It would only take one person associated with it to spill the beans. Odds of everyone keeping it quiet are almost nil. As much as we want to blame refs for our teams losing, its extremely unlikely its due to a higher conspiracy. Its due to human error.

I wonder how many of these NFL is rigged people think Bigfoot is real? Probably quite a few.

 

[Tano]

I wonder how many of these NFL is rigged people think bigfootBigfoot is real? Probably quite a few.

But but but .... Steve Austin proved Bigfoot was created by Aliens

 

[RamFan503]

So…if you’re advocating better training, more officials, enhanced replay usage…I’m all ears.

If you’re looking to undermine the game we love with unfounded accusations, count me out.

I’d love to know what part you found overly aggressive. Certainly not the part where I criticized PFT (aka Florio).

IOW... If you think the way I do, I'm all ears. If you disagree, go fuck yourself.

OK - so maybe the go fuck yourself is putting words in your mouth.

 

[AvengerRam]

IOW... If you think the way I do, I'm all ears. If you disagree, go fuck yourself.

OK - so maybe the go fuck yourself is putting words in your mouth.

Just a bit.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Ouch Avenger. You may stop watching football sooner than you think…

What's a jabroni? Travis Kelce's insult of Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval was WWE 'smack'

"Hey, I've got some wise words for that Cincinnati mayor," Travis Kelce said after the Chiefs' win. "Know your role and shut your mouth, you jabroni!"

www.cincinnati.com

Lots of money involved XFL/NFL. Oh its highly plausible…

In TV contracts too. Around the time Kraft brokered the deal and landed the mega TV deals is when I first noticed referee impacted games on fake calls, ignored calls or a combination between of both. To get the big money did he promise them a say on who makes it into the playoffs?

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

I can’t make the reach that the games are rigged. I could see one or two refs lean towards what they want. I think they are just that incompetent , and getting worse everyday

I don’t think all games are rigged. But when it gets closer to setting the playoff matchups that’s when we start to see more of these poorly called games. It’s a consistent occurrence imo.

 

[kurtfaulk]

A video ref is fools gold. They are just as bad as normal refs, maybe worse because they get to see the play multiple times and still make the wrong decision. Please refer to the Rams-Stealers game in 2019.

 

[Tano]

A video ref is fools gold. They are just as bad as normal refs, maybe worse because they get to see the play multiple times and still make the wrong decision. Please refer to the Rams-Stealers game in 2019.

If there ever was a rigged game in the NFL - that was it

Never have I seen a team with such a horrible offense get benefitted by completely terrible calls

We completely shut them down and when they gave a PI to Ramsey who was 30 yards away from the ball and the Goff fumble when his hand was going forward WITH the ball in his hand

Head explodes

 

[Mackeyser]

You need to spend more time with your grandkid.
Cuz that’s actually real.

Super uncalled for. Really low

I’d explain it, but with that you’ve made it clear you’ve no interest in discussing anything on good faith.

Been my autistic and trained as a network engineer, I’m especially good at both pattern recognition and workflow analysis.

It’s actually a relatively simple system to implement and short of massive forensic accounting of all calls going back decades, very difficult to suss out.

 

[dang]

Pro Football games are not rigged but there needs to be a mechanism in place for grossly missed and significantly consequential calls or non-calls. Im sure Saints fans feel that way. And I’m going to my grave wanting an explanation on the no call face mask on Ramsey by Higgins resulting in a Super Bowl touchdown. Someone should have been reprimanded for ignoring that one.

 

[RamFan503]

A video ref is fools gold. They are just as bad as normal refs, maybe worse because they get to see the play multiple times and still make the wrong decision. Please refer to the Rams-Stealers game in 2019.

They seemed to do pretty well in the playoff games I watched but you're right. I can't believe how many "instant" replays are still screwed up by the eyes in the sky.

 

[Psycho_X]

I’m not much for conspiracy theories. The world is way too invested in bullshit these days. For this one, I’m sure there’s been a ref or two influence a game for their gain or pleasure, some refs just make mistakes, and some refs are just dumbfuck stupid. We’ll likely never know which is which, it is what it is.

Apparently Arian Foster believes it and I don’t care about his opinion. But most of the comments to this tweet are hilarious.

View: https://twitter.com/pftcommenter/status/1620482042902495234?s=21

 

[VegasRam]

Super uncalled for. Really low

I’d explain it, but with that you’ve made it clear you’ve no interest in discussing anything on good faith.

Been my autistic and trained as a network engineer, I’m especially good at both pattern recognition and workflow analysis.

It’s actually a relatively simple system to implement and short of massive forensic accounting of all calls going back decades, very difficult to suss out.

Apologies Mack.

Went overboard in my frustration with posts positing the “art of the possible” as most probably reality.

Sorry - it just flat isn’t.

Cheers.