Executive Director DeMaurice Smith wrote a memo to the players saying it is the league's duty to provide a safe workplace, which it was failing to do.

"We are actively reviewing any and all possible actions to protect you," he wrote.

It's also affecting gamblers.

Betters lost an estimated $150 million on the call, gambling expert R.J. Bell said on the gaming website Pregame.com.

Bell also writes that home crowds seem to be influencing officials and that scoring is up from Las Vegas expectations.

The outcry for a resolution appeared to be growing after the Monday night game.

On Tuesday, the website FootballZebras.com, which tracks officiating in the NFL, said the Monday night call was "beyond the tipping point, this is the drowning point."

Discussion of the game also accounted for at least four of the top 10 topics on Twitter in the United States, where everyday fans and celebrities appeared united in their frustration.

"If you're holding your baby & I walk up and hug it, according to the NFL replacement refs, you have to give me your baby," comedian Chris Rock tweeted.

In another tweet, former NFL quarterback Drew Bledsoe said, "the NFL is a Formula 1 race car. The replacement refs are the 3 year old behind the wheel."

Fans also took to the Web to post images skewering the replacement officials.

"Upon further review, the runner did not touch second base. Touchdown Celtics," said one image posted to Twitter.

Another image circulating on Twitter and Facebook shows officals conferring over the caption: "I have Russell Wilson and Golden Tate on my fantasy team. So clearly that was a touchdown."

New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney got into the game Tuesday, saying he would introduce legislation against holding sporting events officiated by replacement officials.

"This past weekend in the NFL has not only made a mockery of a great sport, but shined a very bright light on how important fully trained and professional officiating is to player safety," said Sweeney, who is a big Packers fan, according to his spokesman. "We wouldn't allow a factory or construction site to operate without fully trained supervisors on hand to ensure the safety of employees. Why should we do anything differently when the job site is a playing field?"

Even the Lingerie Football League -- from which some of the replacement officials were reportedly drawn -- distanced itself from the growing controversy. The league announced it had parted ways with "a couple crews which are apparently now officiating in the NFL."

"We have a lot of respect for our officials but we felt the officiating was not in line with our expectations." league official Mitchell Mortaza said in the statement.

It's unlikely the call will spark an immediate turnaround in negotiations, said Matthew Mitten, director of the Sports Law Program at the Marquette University Law School -- yes, the one in Wisconsin.

But Mitten, an avowed Packers fan, said he hopes the controversy will help open NFL owners' eyes to the possibility of long-term damage to the league's hugely profitable brand.

"These are very smart business people, and I hope they will look at it and say, 'The longer this goes on, the greater chance there is for this to adversely affect the game and our brand,' " he said.

One sportswriter agreed.

"I don't think that the bottom line changes for (NFL Commissioner) Roger Goodell or the league's 32 owners," Sports Illustrated writer Ben Reiter told CNN. "This is still the most profitable sports league in North America. People are still watching."

The one thing that could change public sentiment to be more in support of the officials would be if a player were severely injured during a game with replacement referees, he said.

As for the players walking out in support of the officials, Reiter said that was not likely.

"I think it would be a step too far now to think that they would strike on behalf of the referees even with all the player safety issues that also a part of this," he said.