Logo

OPEN MIC BLOG
Chuck Ross

What Should Have Been the Midnight Call of Moonves, Iger, Carey and Burke Expressing Their Rage Over What Happened Because of the Replacement Refs on ‘Monday Night Football’

Sep 25, 2012

I am not a sports fanatic. But I do enjoy watching most sports on TV when I have the time.

I’ve watched some of the NFL games since the league has locked out the refs in a contract dispute, and the results have been bothersome at best.

But what happened last night, Sept. 24, 2012, on the last play of the game on “Monday Night Football” went beyond the pale.

To paraphrase Woody Allen, it was a travesty of a mockery of a sham.

It was a huge “you’ve got to be effing kidding me" moment.

What happened, is that Russell Wilson, the quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks, threw up a hail Mary pass into the end zone that was intercepted by Green Bay safety M.D. Jennings. And just before it was intercepted there was a blatant offensive pass interference on the play. The replacement officials missed the latter entirely, and, for reasons that will never be adequately explained, ruled the play a completed pass — giving Seattle the win instead of Green Bay. If you click here you’ll hear a former real NFL ref analyzing the play for some ESPN commentators.

If I’m CBS’s Les Moonves, or Disney/ESPN’s Bob Iger, or News Corp./Fox’s Chase Carey, or NBC’s Steve Burke, within five minutes of seeing this Monday night farce we’re all on a conference call with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

The conversation is short and one-sided. “Hi Rog. Yeah, that’s what we’re calling about. It’s really the final straw. We’re the camel, and yeah, it’s the broke our back kinda thing. Amongst us we’re spending how many billions for the rights to your games? And this is the shit we’re getting? You’re effing kidding us, right? After this blown call tonight at the end of ‘Monday Night Football,’ the fans are really starting to revolt. If this continues much longer we’re gonna be in deep doo-doo. All credibility will be gone. So listen, if this thing isn’t settled with the refs by the end of this week we’re gonna sue your ass. For trying to make us broadcast a product that’s far inferior to what we’ve contracted for. So we’ll stop showing the games too. And that’s gonna cost us some big dough, so we’re gonna tack that on as damages when we sue you. Listen, it’s late and we think we’ve made our point. You have a nice evening now, Rog. ‘Nite.”

I’ve only got one question. If Moonves and Iger and Carey and Burke — or their legal reps – didn’t have such a call with Goodell last night on our behalf, why the hell didn’t they?

2 Comments

  1. If I’m the refs, I take my last offer off the table and up the ante.

  2. Well stated. I am in comment agreement!!!

Your Comment

Email (will not be published)