Wide receiver Golden Tate #81 of the Seattle Seahawks makes a catch in the end zone to defeat the Green Bay Packers on a controversial call by the officials at CenturyLink Field on Sept. 24, 2012 in Seattle, Washington.
A three-month deadlock between the NFL and its referees over contract negotiations (the refs were asking for better salaries and retirement benefits) forced the league to scramble to find substitute referees at the beginning of the regular season in September. For three weeks, replacement refs took the field to officiate, with decidedly mixed results. The refs were endlessly scrutinized and second-guessed, and the uneasy labor fix culminated in a blown call in a Green Bay–Seattle game that cost the Packers the win. Growing fan discontent finally spurred the league to end the dispute, and both sides reached a collective-bargaining agreement set to last for eight years.