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The NFL’s preparing to bring in replacement officials if they can’t reach a new deal with the league’s referees – and they’re moving fast.
ESPN reviewed emails Wednesday showing the league wants a list of about 150 small college officials by this weekend. It’s the same playbook they used back in 2012, when a lockout dragged on for 110 days and bled into the regular season.
Those replacement refs could start onboarding as soon as April.
The current collective bargaining agreement expires at the end of May. If there’s no deal by then, these officials would attend a four-day clinic in May, keep training through the summer, and visit training camps before the season kicks off.
The NFL declined to comment on the plan.
But NFLRA executive director Scott Green isn’t holding back. He’s raising two major concerns – the first being what he sees as increased vulnerability to gamblers among replacement officials who aren’t as established in the league. The second issue? Player safety when you’ve got refs who’ve never dealt with the size and speed of NFL games.
“Frankly, I’m surprised they would even consider it after 2012.”
That 2012 experiment was a disaster. Coaches and players ripped the replacement officials apart week after week; the league had pulled refs from lower-level colleges and minor leagues (including the Arena League). The whole thing ended with the infamous “Fail Mary” call – a chaotic finish that handed the Seattle Seahawks a 14-12 win over Green Bay that nobody thought they deserved.
Pro Football Talk first reported the league’s efforts to line up potential replacements.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, “frustration is mounting” among NFL owners over how negotiations with the NFLRA are going. There’s a clear divide between what each side wants here.
Last year the NFL sent out a memo saying it “remained focused on implementing changes to the agreement in ways that will improve the performance of our game officials, increase accountability, and ensure that the highest-performing officials are officiating our highest profile games.” Translation – they want more control over officials and how they’re evaluated.
The NFLRA’s pushing back hard. They’re looking to keep things as they are or even roll back some of the league’s access to working with game officials. It’s a standoff that could put replacement refs back on the field for the first time in over a decade.
