Official pulled off Saints game

[ak482]

Apparently one of the 7 scabs assigned to work today's Saints-Panthers game has been pulled off the crew. The reason: his Facebook page says he's a Saints fan.

espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8386973/nfl-pulls-replacement-ref-new-orleans-saints-game

Um, may want to do a little more homework before assigning these guys.

[davegabike]

Gross!

[zebrablog]

I know for years, Walt Anderson hadn't worked Texans games. (Obviously, not a fan, because he's been referee before they were formed.) Any idea if they have held to that restriction since?

[cj]

Well of course there is one certain referee who has never worked a Raiders game for over a decade now whose name we won't mention but whose initials are WC.

[zebrablog]

Well, yes. And a few others, although not quite as long. I was more going for the preemptive non-assigns.

[teo]

Chuck Heberling, a Pittsburgh native, didn't worked a Steelers game as a referee until his final season in 1986, becuse he had to fill for Fred Silva.

[tuckerewell]

Doesn't Nemmers have a Missouri/KC connection? If I'm not mistaken, he has done many KC games on field and in booth

[Deleted]

Walt Coleman I think lives in Arkansas...also not aware of a face book page with him wearing Patriots gear and having posts saying Help OUR team with some calls. Atrocious, sickening, inexcusable, unprofessional, a JOKE! Then again, no surprise...How much integrity can you expect from a pool of scabs!?

[zebrablog]

One of the points I made in my post was that referees that go through the normal hiring process can address this problem. When you are on a short list, it can take a few years to be hired. In that time, you can mentally divorce your favorite team so that your allegiance doesn't become a bias.

In this case, no one of replacements will ever be considered for a full-fledged position with the league, so they have and continue to maintain their allegiance. Doesn't mean that they won't call a fair match, but the appearance of impropriety must be self-reported before the official heads out to the stadium on gameday.

[zebra80]

Oh Stop. Just like zebrablog said, these guys didn't go through a normal process to get in the league. Three months ago, these guys were HS refs, Truck drivers and poker players and had no visions of working in week two of the NFL season. Of course he had an allegiance. So do most of you. And if you were suddenly dropped into the league, you might forget to take those pics off your facebook. Now, if it were me, I would have had all that crap off my page the second I went to the first clinic.

Is he guilty of bad judgment, sure, but don't tear him down because he "is a fan of the Saints." My best guess is that all of you, like me are watching NFL games today and not just to evaluate officials. ESPN found something and made a big deal of it. As pointed out on this very thread there are many of the locked out and former officials that were fans of given teams. In my book, there are bigger things to be concerned with like misapplication of timeout rules under two minutes for injury.

Look if you want to be mad at the guy for being a scab, fine. If you want to criticize them for being substandard, okay. But for crying out loud, why the big to do over a guy that last season had zero dream of being an NFL official and being a fan of a team. If you tell me that all the locked out guys are not and have never been a fan of a team in the NFL then I will concede to you that this guy should be scorned.

Just my .02....

[FredFan7]

Not wise to leave up team allegiances when you are an official in said league. Lack of discretion and it cost him.

[Deleted]

I have no problem with him being a Saints fan...as long as he goes back to being a saints fan!

[FredFan7]

Replacement who officiated a Seahawks game has ties to that team as well:

bit.ly/QuYfo1