With surging NJ unemployment and lagging personnel income growth NJ State Senate President Stephen Sweeney wants to ban NFL games with replacement refs
Monday morning quarterback?
EDITORS NOTE: Delays in the state senate and assembly have stalled tax-reform for 79 days, ethics reform for 742 days , ending sick leave payouts 650 days and action on property tax cap loopholes 128 days .
Sick of the replacement referees in the NFL this season? So is one powerful New Jersey legislator, who wants to put an end to indecisiveness, missed calls, and other cringe-worthy officiating – at least at Giants and Jets games.
State Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D., Gloucester) said Tuesday that he planned to introduce a bill banning professional sports events in New Jersey if they are officiated by fill-ins.
Replacement officials have been working games since the beginning of the season when the league locked out its referees because they resisted pension changes.
Sweeney said his motivation isn’t that he is a fan of the Green Bay Packers, who lost in the last seconds Monday when the Seattle Seahawks scored a touchdown that appeared to be an interception. (Katz, Tamari and Farrell, The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Giants spokesman balks at Sen. Sweeney’s move to block replacement refs in N.J.
A Giants spokesman said the organization welcomes Senate President Stephen Sweeney’s interest in football, but suggested that his idea of banning replacement referees from working in New Jersey may be a step too far.
“We appreciate Senator Sweeney’s interest in our game, but officiating controversies have always been part of sports,” Giants spokesman Pat Hanlon said. “Our league office staff, including Commissioner Goodell, has been in negotiations with the referees union for the past week. We hope to reach an agreement as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the league and the clubs are committed to do all we can to help the current officials improve and we are confident they will do so. Our position against expanded legalized gambling has not changed.” (Renshaw, The Star-Ledger)
https://www.nj.com/politics/
Sweeney should be congratulated for providing an unassailable argument for limitation of government. He undoubtedly knows nothing about the underlyuing labor dispute but he has a legislative anwer anyway.