By Aaron Wilson, The Baltimore Sun –
BALTIMORE — Instead of receiving the usual jeers that go with their profession, NFL referee Gene Steratore and his crew were treated like conquering heroes Thursday night at M&T Bank Stadium.
Steratore was greeted by fans with a standing ovation before the Ravens’ game against the Cleveland Browns, less than a day after the league and the NFL Referees Association reached a new eight-year collective bargaining agreement.
A veteran referee from Washington, Pa., who doubles as an NCAA basketball official, Steratore tipped his cap to the crowd in recognition of the applause.
“It’s good to be back,” Steratore said before the coin toss. “Let’s have a great night.”
The fans weren’t the only ones happy to see the officials back.
One by one, Ravens middle linebacker Ray Lewis, free safety Ed Reed, running back Ray Rice and coach John Harbaugh hugged Steratore before kickoff. After enduring botched calls from replacement officials with backgrounds in the Lingerie Football League and lower-level college football, the regular referees are experiencing a popularity that is momentarily off the charts.
A sign in the stands read: “Now, the girls field hockey teams can get their refs back.”
Another fan was dressed like a referee, drawing laughs as he showed that his yellow flag remained in his pocket.
“It’s a blessing to have them back,” former NFL wide receiver Michael Irvin said.
“Our refs are great. I worried so much about the replacement refs. That guy was smelling deodorant Monday night in Seattle and cost the Packers the game. The regular refs are pros. These guys are used to the scrutiny and know what they’re doing.”
Cameras captured every move made by Steratore and his six-man crew: umpire Bill Schuster, head linesman Wayne Mackie, line judge Jeff Seaman, field judge Bob Waggoner, side judge Jimmy DeBell and back judge Greg Steed.
“Coming in on the bus, we go in the tunnel and they got media all over the place watching them,” said Ray Anderson, NFL senior vice president of football operations.
“It was almost like coming into a rock-star venue. They don’t want any attention. They just want to do their job. It was a hard-fought negotiation and we’re delighted to have the refs back.”
That sentiment is shared by fans, players, coaches and the league after a Monday-night debacle where the Seahawks got a controversial win over the Green Bay Packers as replacement officials bungled a touchdown call and missed an obvious offensive pass interference penalty on Seattle wide receiver Golden Tate.
“Yes, I’m going to give the refs a big hand,” said Prea Proctor, 29, of Baltimore. “Everybody should appreciate that they’re back.”
Frank Wooke, 60, of Bel Air said he will cut the regular officials slack only for as long as it takes them to knock off the rust.
“Once the game gets going, they go back to being a referee,” Wooke said. “They’ll make some wrong calls, and they’ll get booed.”
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the Monday-night episode wasn’t the final impetus for halting the labor dispute.
“It might have pushed the parties further along, but we were in intense negotiations,” Goodell said. “We weren’t going to shut down football. We are sorry to have to put our fans through that, but it’s something you have to do to make sure you get the right type of agreement for the long term and make sure you continue to grow the game.
“You never want to see a game end like that. We always are going to have to work harder to make sure we get people’s trust and confidence in us.”
While the Packers-Seahawks controversy led to a lot of debate, Goodell said any controversial play is unfortunate.
“Mistakes do happen,” Goodell said.
“It’s not realistic to think officiating will be perfect. There are controversial calls and people see them differently. That’s the beauty of sports. (Replacement officials) kept the game going. I don’t believe it created a greater risk to player safety.”
Beverly Veever, a Ravens fan from the Eastern Shore, wasn’t in a forgiving mood about the shaky replacement officials.
“I’m disappointed because the league let it go on,” she said. “We pay a lot of money to go to the games, and the NFL let down the fans.”
The return of the game officials led a few players to take their excitement to Twitter.
“Woke up to find out the new refs are back,” Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith wrote on Twitter. “I’ve never been excited about refs before. I think I might give the first one I see a bear hug.”
Added Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo: “Real refs are back. Sweet! Don’t expect them to be brilliant the first few weeks. Still an upgrade.”
The new deal calls for referees’ salaries to increase from $149,000 per year in 2011 to $173,000 by 2013 and up to $205,000 by 2019. The deal still has to be ratified by the NFLRA membership as officials will meet today and Saturday in Dallas to vote.
“I’m really going to miss the replacement officials,” former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason said sarcastically. “I was starting to get very close to them. I hope they’re not too scarred. People don’t understand how tough it is to referee an NFL game with the lunatics playing the game.
“For about a minute, everything will be fine. All it takes is one bad call and then we’re all back to normal again, but these guys know what they’re doing.”
