Schools

Gov. Scott Walker Takes to Twitter to Back NFL Refs

Republican governor says it's time to bring back the "real referees" — who are unionized.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, known for his anti-union stance, is stuck between Twitter and a hard place this morning after putting a #Returntherealrefs hashtag at the end of a tweet regarding Monday night’s loss by the Green Bay Packers.

“After catching a few hours of sleep, the #Packers game is still just as painful. #Returntherealrefs” he tweeted from his @GovWalker account.

The Packers suffered a controversial 14-12 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in which a last-play touchdown appeared to have two blown calls that would have overturned the touchdown. The calls were made by replacement officials, working in place of locked-out, unionized NFL officials. 

Find out what's happening in Hudsonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Walker was the target of a recall election in June after the state passed Act 10, which eliminated most collective bargaining rights for public unions. His tweet Tuesday drew furious reaction from opponents who saw support for the officials union as hypocritical.

@ElephantGun replied to Walker: "So you PRO-union now? Here's what hiring low-wage scabs gets you, idiot. #Packers #ReturnTheRealRefs"

Find out what's happening in Hudsonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

@PeaceNikki replied: "Really!?! You hypocritical FOOL. your attack on unions gives businesses the ability to hire unqualified employees. #ScabRefs

Wisconsin politicians’ outrage was bipartisan. Democratic State Senator Jon Erpenbach Tweeted NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s office phone number to his followers following the game.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here