Terrible NFL replacement refs take the social media spotlight

Last night, the Seattle Seahawks beat the Green Bay Packers 14-12 after the referees blundered an important call. Today, the Twittersphere and other social networks are buzzing about the replacement refs and calling for the NFL to bring back the pros.

The NFL is currently in a dispute with its unionized referees, so it has brought in replacements after locking out the officials. Fans and players are outraged that the league hasn’t already solved this issue, one that shouldn’t cost them too much to fix. The NFL stands by the replacement refs’ call.

Green Bay offensive tackle T.J. Long’s profane tweet about the refs has attracted more than 88,000 retweets, becoming one of the most retweeted notes in Twitter history in less than a day. BuzzFeed notes that the most retweeted note likely belongs to Justin Bieber, but Long could eventually take that crown in a few days.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees weighed in on the controversy via Twitter.

Miami Dolphins running back Reggie Bush also tossed out his thoughts:

ESPN’s SportsCenter Twitter account reports that NFL offices have received more than 70,000 voicemails last night. That report alone has more than 8,000 retweets.

That might have been due to Wisconsin State Senator Jon Erpenbach tweeting NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s office phone number.

Here’s one popular meme that’s been floating around Facebook today:

Another decently funny meme circulating on Facebook:

Check out the highly contested play in the video below. (This video might be taken down shortly due to infringement.)

And watch ESPN analysts tear down the NFL for continuing to use replacement refs.