Deal With NFL Refs Coming Soon?
Added on Sep 26, 2012 by Scott in
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The aftermath of Monday night’s controversial ending that resulted in a bogus victory for the Seahawks over the Packers exposed the need for the referee lockout to end as soon as possible. According to ESPN sources, a deal could be reached within hours, meaning an outside chance the real officials could return to the field for Week 4′s games. Although nothing has been finalized, there seems to be a glimmer of hope.
Pension plans and a pay raise are obstacles that still need to be cleared. The NFLRA is rumored to be ready to accept an agreement in principle, although league representatives have said it would take a week for the referees to prepare before coming back to work.
The development of a 21-member “taxi squad” of trainee officials will be part of the new deal. A reserve pool would be plucked from the major college ranks and trained as potential fill-ins throughout the season. This would increase the number of qualified refs, which would make it easier to cover for officials who may have to miss a week due to injury or personal reasons.
Both Bill Belichick and Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan were fined for touching and/or criticizing the replacements following tough losses on Sunday. But the situation reached a boiling point on Monday night when Golden Tate’s “game-winning” touchdown wasn’t overturned.
The outcry from players, fans and sports talking heads has been vitriolic and loud. The botched Hail Mary aside, the amount of infractions called during games has been ridiculously high. There were 24 called penalties during the Packers-Seahawks affair, including three on the final drive. The old adage of “letting them play” has all but disappeared. It goes without saying that something needs to give. Either bring back the regular crews or give the newbies a refresher course.
If a new deal is reached prior to Thursday night’s Browns-Ravens matchup, the league will have to hastily decide whether a veteran crew can be employed. So far, they have not ruled out that possibility.
