Aaron Rodgers lashes out at NFL over refs

Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers picks himself up off of the turf against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field on September 24, 2012, in Seattle, Washington. / Getty Images

(AP) GREEN BAY, Wis. - Still seething about a controversial, decisive call that went against the Green Bay Packers in Seattle, Aaron Rodgers used his weekly radio show on Tuesday to dismiss the NFL's explanation for the replacement officials' decision.

The MVP also questioned the league's priorities in an ongoing labor dispute with its regular officials.

Speaking on Milwaukee's ESPN 540 AM, Rodgers said the NFL's willingness to use replacement officials who aren't up to the task is a sign that the league cares more about money than it does about tarnishing the game.

Rodgers apologized to the fans, saying the NFL apparently isn't willing to do so itself.

"I just feel bad for the fans," Rodgers said on the show. "They pay good money and the game is being tarnished by an NFL who obviously cares more about saving a little money then having the integrity of the game diminish a little bit."

Replacement officials ruled that a last-second scrum in the end zone resulted in a touchdown to Seahawks receiver Golden Tate — when Rodgers, his teammates, Packers fans and much of the football-watching public saw a clear-cut interception by the Packers' M.D. Jennings in Seattle's 14-12 win on Monday night.

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Rodgers said fans deserve better.

"Our sport is generated, the multi-billion dollar machine is generated, by people coming to watch us play," Rodgers said. "And the product that is on the field is not being complemented by an appropriate set of officials. The games are getting out of control."

Rodgers spent part of Tuesday's show reading an NFL-issued statement on the air, poking holes in the league's official explanation.

Rodgers dismissed the statement's assertion that "officials" determined that both Tate and Jennings had possession of the ball.

And the quarterback also scoffed at the notion that replacement referee Wayne Elliott determined that there was no indisputable visual evidence to overturn the call on the field through instant replay.

"I mean, come on, Wayne, that's embarrassing," Rodgers said. "This is the NFL here saying they should have called pass interference and saying that the refs got it right in the end zone. Unbelievable."

Packers coach Mike McCarthy continued to take the high road Tuesday evening, but did acknowledge that he thought the play "clearly" was an interception. And his colleagues around the NFL apparently thought the same thing.

"I received more text messages and e-mail s than I did after the Super Bowl," McCarthy said. "I can tell the impact this made."

But McCarthy said the team needs to move past the incident and focus on Sunday's game against New Orleans at Lambeau Field.

"We're not going to get any help," McCarthy said. "I know this is going to be a story that everybody wants to continue to talk about. And frankly, I'm not going to act like it's not there. This is a play that I'm sure we'll see on TV as we move on in our lives. That's the facts of our business."

[PourpaixPourpaix]

I dunno about Rodgers saying everyone is upset over the call. Up here in Seattle, most folks figure that it was a pretty good call!

Aside from some obvious partisanship, I find it difficult to have much sympathy for the trivial woes of professional sports. Players, owners, and refs all line up wanting to make millions, paid for by car and beer ads that won't affect my decisions in the first place. When I do buy, I gotta pay $30,000 for a car and $10 for a few lousy bottles of beer.

Think of it. As a young man in 1975, I made minimum wage, or $5 per hour. I could buy a house for $20,000, a new car for $2000, and enjoy a beer in a bar for $0.50. Now, after all these years, minimum wage hasn't even doubled at $9. Yet, that house if $200,000, new cars start at $20,000, and you'll be lucky to get a beer in a bar for $10. I worry far more about how we ruined our kids' lives than some jerk athlete crying about how a blown call ruined his life. (But I still don't agree it was a blown call, of course.)

[otimus]

Well I'm done, it had gotten so bad the last few years that I could only watch one game a week, because of the childish behavior. Now with the want-to-be's in there I cant handle it, bye NFL.

[Forty-Four]

Ya ya, the Packers are so used to calls going their way

http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/27365116.jpg

[Forty-Four]

...also,
The Packers had a roughing call which was not roughing. I seem to recall Rodgers saying it WAS roughing when Kyle Vanden Bosch hit him in the exact same manner.

[Truthfully12]

The officating stinks, no doubt! But, I wonder what he would have said, had the shoe been on the other foot? The fact that the Pckers are 1-2, probably has nothing to do with it, or the fact that he really hasn't gotten his offense going either, 3 TD's in 3 games. The blame should ultimately go to the league officials at the end of the game, it was reviewed and held up, so blame them. Stop whining and play the game.

[keb1955]

Aaron Rodgers has already admitted that the offense needed a lot of work. But the Packers did come back in the 2nd half. The call was bad and it wouldn't have gotten to that point if the refs had been keeping their eyes on the end zone. Even the NFL admitted that Tate illegally pushed a defender out of the way. Everyone knows that regular officials make bad calls but in most cases it evens out. This is not what just happened on MNF, it's about the last three weeks of NFL being turned into a three ring circus with refs that are in over their heads and cannot properly supervise a professional football game. Look, I sure don't like the Patriots but I know that they got cheated in their game. I'm here speaking to fans of all the teams. What happens when this situation robs your team? I'm over the loss but this problem is a lot deeper than what happened Mon. night.

[167irishboy]

It's only a game for God's sakes. Who cares. It all started out just for the fun of it. When the bookies and corporate America got involved it became a marketable business with huge advertising revenues that can cost a family of four a thousand dollars plus to go see a game. Now, if your not a millionaire you, forget it, sit on you couch, stuff your face, and get fat.

Why don't the fans of America get off the fat dead lazy ***** and live their own lives instead of obessively watching other people live theirs.

[Rafterman11]

We do have lives. And we like football too.

Get over yourself.

[Wingsfan1983]

It is time to exempt the anti-trust for the NFL and other sports leagues. There is no integrity for this or any league (including the NCAA)

[dudley58]

Sure, the replacement refs on the field screwed up, but the play was reviewed, and keep in mind that the reply booth officials ARE NOT replacements....

http://www.sportsgrid.com/nfl/replacement-officials-replay-booth/

[otimus]

But they are limited to what they can do... they could say the ball was caught, but not who caught it or that there was a blatant foul just before.

[talkin2u924]

I think Aaron Rogers was spot on. Will the NFL fine him for speaking out. I think Aaron should pay whatever fine they slap him with for enterprising his right to speak in this case. He made very valid points and put the NFL in a very tenuous position to solve this problem once and for all.

[Wingsfan1983]

He is spot on but the fans are the problem......We keep watching the games. The NFL still makes money from the fans and as long as they keep watching the owners will not need to change.

If we organize boycotts at the games then maybe something will get done.

[Rafterman11]

I am a union man, and it pains me to say this, but don't blame just the NFL. The Ref union, who supervises Division I college refs, threatened to fire any of those refs if they worked NFL games. Many of Division I refs are NFL quality and they can't work the game. That's why teh NF: had to scrape the bottom of the pool for the current refs. So its pretty hypocritical for the union to call out the NFL for not caring about player safety when they have their own hand in the decision.