Referee group weighs in on controversial call

Group's president calls for end to contract dispute

RACINE, Wis. — The president of the National Association of Sports Officials said that with the integrity of the game in question, it’s about time for the National Football League and its referees to work out their contract differences.

The nonprofit trade organization is based in Racine and publishes Referee magazine. Locked-out NFL refs are members of the association, and so are thousands of high school and college refs, putting the organization in an unusual position.

President Barry Mano told WISN-TV the officiating at the Packers-Seahawks game Monday night and the fallout that followed is an embarrassment to the profession. The association’s editorial team met Tuesday to discuss how to cover the controversy in the next issue of its magazine.