So much for the punch a ref in the face plan

[Spider-Dan]

There was not a single call in that game that was flat-wrong.  The Bess fumble, and the catch by the receiver at the goal line were correct calls.

The goal line catch was wrong.  It was originally ruled a touchdown, and was overturned.

Furthermore, had they actually made the correct call (down at the 1/2yard line), the clock would have ran out.  That bad call cost us 7 points.

[Spider-Dan]

I'm DEAD serious.  Refs need to learn that bogus calls cannot and will not be tolerated in sports.  Already in the past two weeks, I've seen enough of them to last a lifetime, at the college level and pro level. 

Refs are corruptable and can be bought.  Former NBA ref Tim Doneghy already proved that.  The question is, for every Tim Doneghy, how many other refs are calling games based on bribes or personal vendettas against certain players/teams. 

I applaud what this player did, and if I were him, I would then hold a press conference imploring other players to do the same thing.  If the refs start to fear that making a bogus call could result in grevious bodily harm, they won't do it.

What about when the ref makes a correct (but unpopular) call?  Should the ref in the OAK-NE game have been punched for correctly applying the tuck rule?

Your "system" encourages anarchy and mob rule.  It is completely absurd.

[bsmooth]

Punching an official should not be considered a crime.  If players punch each other on the field and nobody ever gets charged with a crime, why should punching an official be any different. 

And yes, if the players feel they are not having a fair chance to win the game, they should make it their duty to keep the game fair. 

Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence: "When a form of government becomes destructive, it is the right of the people to stand up and alter or abolish it". 

The example you are using as a rallying cry has a player assaulting the ref with a weapon (i.e. a helmet) and inflicting serious enough injuries that he will face several years in prison.

So what if a player attacks a ref for a call he believes is unfair, and it turns out to have been the wrong call?

[Brian Fein]

I love how Tommy thinks physical harm is the only way to "teach someone a lesson"

[Sunstroke]

I love how Tommy thinks physical harm is the only way to "teach someone a lesson"

Strictly from a psych standpoint, that can be an  indicator of someone who took repetitive beatings as a child, and not just "random stranger" beatings, but physical abuse from a person that the child respected, whether parent, teacher or other authority figure.

Not saying that has anything to do with Tommy, just saying it would be a consideration in a basic psychological exam.

[Tenshot13]

The only time it's okay for a ref to be physically harmed by players, is in Mutant League Football for the Sega Genesis.  KILL THE REF!

[bsmooth]

You know after thinking about it, I think it would be a great plan. Have a bench player distract/take out the ref, and then an extra group of players can run onto the field with chairs and attack the other team. Then when the ref comes too, he will have to forfiet the other team as they do not have enough healthy players to continue the game. It is sheer brilliance.