Candidates on NFL ref situation

WASHINGTON (AP) - Both sides in the battle for the White House are in agreement  -- that the calls being made by the substitute referees in the NFL are terrible, and that it's time to end the league's lockout and get the regular officials back on the job.

As he returned to the White House from New York, President Barack Obama said, "I've been saying for months we've got to get our refs back."

• Obama: NFL needs regular refs

Campaigning in Ohio, Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan agreed -- pointing to the outcome of the Monday Night Football game and saying, "Give me a break."

The game ended with a win by the Seattle Seahawks over the Green Bay Packers, when referees ruled that a Seattle receiver caught the ball amid a pile of bodies in the end zone on the game's last play.

The NFL conceded that Seattle should have been called for a penalty during the play -- but the league is upholding the victory.

The outcome isn't being well received in Wisconsin -- a politically important state in which Obama has recently redoubled his efforts.

It's also the home state of his rival's running mate.