POINT OF ORDER: Eagles running back LeSean McCoy, celebrating a touchdown in Sunday’s win over Baltimore, said the replacement referees are “like fans” and one referenced his fantasy football team. (
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Blown calls are one thing, but at least one of the NFL’s replacement referees has been rooting for players on his fantasy teams while officiating games, according to Eagles running back LeSean McCoy.
“I’ll be honest, they’re like fans,” McCoy told 94WIP radio in Philadelphia. “One of the refs was talking about his fantasy team, like ‘McCoy, come on, I need you for my fantasy,’ ahhh, what?!”
McCoy’s revelation is the latest embarrassment for the NFL. The league pulled official Brian Stropolo from Sunday’s game between the Panthers and Saints after he posted photos of himself in New Orleans gear while tailgating before a preseason game.
The Eagles running back later told Yahoo! Sports the referee’s comment was “more like joking.”
The controversy comes on the heels of the abysmal Week 2 officiating done by the replacement officials. McCoy also alleged that Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis intimidated one of the referees during the Eagles’ 24-23 win over Baltimore.
“During the game, they made like a bad call or something, the ref, and I see Ray Lewis like pump his chest up, trying to scare him,” McCoy said. “Don’t you know [the ref] started stuttering? I’m like ‘what’s this?!’”
The replacement referees, who have worked all four preseason weeks and the first two of the regular season, have called 43 pass interference penalties, the most since 2003, and 100 offensive holding penalties, the most since 2007.
The NFL and NFLRA are at odds over pension and salary issues.