A group of NFL referees has informed the league that if players kneel during the National Anthem before their games, they’ll walk off the field.
The International Referee Union of America says they back the move, noting that their members aren’t required to call games if they feel the players are engaging in “harmful or disrespectful behavior.”
In this case, players are being disrespectful if they kneel, says the union, because a majority of Boomers don’t understand peaceful protest or the United States Constitution:
“There are a lot of ignorant people watching these games, and we have to make sure they aren’t offended, because the bulk of NFL ads are aimed at them. They don’t seem to get that taking a knee rather than simply sitting down is done out of respect.
“Maybe someday we’ll have fewer boomers on the referee squads and this will cease to be an issue. Until then, we’ll just go with ‘Okay Boomer’ and move on.”
The NFL Owner’s Association says they understand where the refs are coming from, and will support those who walk off the field:
“We have scabs on standby to fill in so the games can go on. We stand with our refs, but we also like money. A lot. There’s no way we’re gonna let anything get in the way of our season.”
So far, 17 officials have said they’ll walk, with 6 of them being head refs with white hats. Of those, only 2 have made horrible calls against the New Orleans Saints.
The Saints released a statement saying they’ll definitely kneel, and that they’re hoping the scab refs will actually call the game with their eyes open.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers said they couldn’t care less who calls the game, since Tom Brady will draw more viewers than the team has seen since their 2002 fluke season.
We’ll keep you updated as the story develops.
