Speaking to the Des Moines Register, President Obama called for the return of permanent referees in the National Football League after a controversial call in the Packers-Seahawks game drew national ire on Tuesday night:
“I was busy,” he said. “I saw the ending.”
He said he doesn’t blame the replacement refs.
“They’ve been put in a tough situation,” the president said. “But the fact is this is a fast, tough game to control. And it doesn’t make sense to me for a league that’s been so successful not to want to put their very best out there.”
The NFL has locked out its regular referees following a contract dispute and has been using replacement refs this season.
