National Football League

Golden Tate reconnects with referee

Published Jul. 7, 2013 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Ah, replacement referees. Remember those first few weeks of the 2012 NFL season? When rules were confused, calls were botched, and coaches looked absolutely fed up with the NFL because the league's regular referees were demanding a raise?

Arguably the most controversial call made during the brief but impactful Replacement Ref Era was The Immaculate Touchception that gave Golden Tate of the Seattle Seahawks a game-winning touchdown over the Green Bay Packers that looked suspiciously like, well, an interception:

The play was the NFL's worst nightmare, as it appeared on Monday Night Football and the backlash against replacement referees was already reaching absurd levels.

Just about the only people that weren't upset about the call were the Seahawks players and fans. Golden Tate, in particular, benefited from the call, as he came away with a Hail Mary touchdown that will be shown on NFL Network for years.

So when Seahawks CB Richard Sherman put on a Celebrity Softball Tournament, who did he hire to officiate the game? Replacement referee Lance Easley, who famously called Tate's "catch" against the Packers a touchdown.

Lawyer Milloy, who most recently played for the Seahawks, posted the above picture of Tate and Easley on his Instagram with the caption "Golden Tate standing with the #replacementref that still says TD! #nfl #seattle #seahawks."

It's nice that the Seahawks can have fun about this now, but I doubt any Packers players will be hiring Easley for anything anytime soon.