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Four Refs During The NFC Championship Game Between The Saints And Rams Were From California

(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

David Hookstead Sports And Entertainment Editor
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Four refs during the NFC championship game between the New Orleans Saints and the Los Angeles Rams were from California, and that’s a cause for concern for some people.

The Saints lost in overtime after what was one of the worst no-calls in the history of football. A Rams cornerback destroyed Saints receiver Tommylee Lewis, but no flag was thrown in the crucial moment in the game. You can watch the now infamous play below. (RELATED: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Could Intervene On The Outcome Of The Rams Vs. Saints Game)

ESPN reported the following Sunday on the situation around the four refs and the fact they’re from California:

Those same four officials — all with long ties to Southern California — were the ones most responsible for the non-call on Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman’s early, helmet-to-helmet hit on Saints wide receiver Tommylee Lewisthat was widely viewed as pass interference. The league admitted to the Saints that it “f—ed up the call,” according to sources.

The Saints and other officials not involved in the game do not believe that these officials’ geographical ties influenced their non-call, according to sources. Officiating assignments are communicated to clubs on Monday, and there were no complaints from either the Rams or Saints in advance, according to a league source.

But in a league constantly trying to safeguard the integrity of the game, there are some privately wondering how four officials with Southern California roots wound up officiating a conference championship game that involved a Los Angeles team.

What an absolute disaster of a situation all the way around for the league. I understand the fact most people don’t think the fact the refs were from California played any role, and it probably didn’t. These refs are pros. They get paid to do a job.

However, it’s not a good look when a game ends because of such a crazy no-call and then the Rams go to the Super Bowl. The conspiracy theorists, of which there are many, are going to run wild with that information. That’s how the internet and sports work. (RELATED: The Patriots Will Face The Rams In The Super Bowl)

Don’t be surprised if the league passes some kind of new rule banning refs from officiating games that feature a team from a state they live in.

The NFL has to do something after this disaster, and that might be the simplest option on the table. It really is mind-boggling just how crazy this situation has gotten. We started with irate fans, escalated to calls for Roger Goodell to overturn the results and now we’re focusing on where the refs are from.

Again, this is a crisis that is bordering on a circus.

 

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I really can’t wait to see just how far the internet runs with this information. I promise you rationality is going to get thrown right out the window.

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