Steinberg: NFL needs to replace the replacements

There is a critical need to enforce unnecessary roughness and late-hit penalties to protect the health and safety of players. This is a sport that has been generally well-officiated by well-trained, experienced professionals. The search for replacement officials focused on small college Division II and III football. There are also replacements from the Arena League, high schools and even the Lingerie Football League. This is the first experience in NFL football for all of them.

The preseason was played with these replacements. In the first game, referee Craig Ochoa announced that New Orleans had won the toss. Except it was Arizona. There were penalties called on wrong players, spots of the ball were a couple yards off and inaccurate or misleading explanations were made publicly of the penalty calls.

It is not that  regular officials never make bad calls. But the pressure and activity in the regular season is vastly different than the preseason. Regular season games feature the fastest, most talented players, and the speed of the game is exponentially higher.

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Red Panty’s Lingerie in Azusa robbed; Suspect shot, dies after confrontation …

Updated/Corrected
September 6
11:05 a.m.

Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau detectives are continuing to assist Azusa Police Department personnel in their investigation into the circumstances surrounding an officer involved shooting that occurred on Monday, September 3, 2012, in the 500 block of South Citrus Avenue, Azusa.

Detectives have learned that after an Azusa police officer conducted a patrol check of the 24 hour business, “Red Panty’s Lingerie,” he was flagged down by the store clerk and a customer of the business and told that it was just robbed. They pointed out the suspect to the officer. The officer quickly detained the suspect at gunpoint.

The suspect was uncooperative and ran across Citrus Avenue. The officer followed the suspect and saw the suspect reached into his waistband. The officer fired, striking the suspect once in the upper torso. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. The officer was not injured.

Prior to the incident, the suspect entered the store, simulated a weapon and demanded cash register money from the clerk. The robbery was foiled when the suspect saw the police officer pull into the parking lot. The suspect left the location without money and that is when the clerk and the customer flagged down the police officer.

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