NFL Referee Lockout: Integrity of Game Returns Along with Union Refs

The NFL's real referees are back, and they're bringing the integrity of the sport back with them. 

First, the good news, from the Associated Press (via the Chicago Tribune):

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After two days of marathon negotiations—and mounting frustration among coaches, players and fans—the NFL and the referees' union announced at midnight Thursday that a tentative agreement had been reached to end a lockout that began in June.

Commissioner Roger Goodell, who was at the bargaining table Tuesday and Wednesday, said the regular officials would work the Browns-Ravens game at Baltimore.

"

There is no doubt that the situation with the replacement referees hit an absolute tipping point this weekend. Jim Harbaugh and the San Francisco 49ers were basically given two free timeouts. Several penalties were marked off incorrectly. There was no flag when Darrius Heyward-Bey was hit with a violent helmet-to-helmet collision and knocked out of the game.

Oh, and there was that whole "fake Golden Tate touchdown catch" at the end of Monday Night Football that cost the Green Bay Packers a win.

There was no question the replacement referees needed to go. Games were devolving into four-hour affairs, with the referees holding no control over the game, not understanding the interpretation of certain rules or the implementation of others.

The flow of the game disappeared. The focus of our attention was being stolen from the players and placed on the refs. America's most popular sport suddenly had the credibility of the WWE.

But no more. Yes, the union refs will make mistakes. Yes, it won't take long before we're lamenting a call or accusing the referees of failing to visit an eye doctor. 

That's never going to change. But rules will be administered correctly. We won't have five-minute pushing matches between teams or a slew of coaches being fined for their behavior toward referees.

Sure, I'll miss all of the replacement ref memes.

I'll miss the clever tweets, too, like this one from Rachel Nichols:

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If there was ever an official photo of this whole replacement ref debacle, this is it twitter.com/Rachel__Nichol…

— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) September 25, 2012"

But I'm glad the NFL is the NFL again. I'm glad the game I love is no longer trotting out amateurs or that I won't have to cringe every time I see a referee huddle.

The game's integrity has returned. Well, at least until Roger Goodell and the owners decide they need to sacrifice it to earn a few more bucks again.

Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets wouldn't allow fake Golden Tate touchdowns to stand.