Yes ...sorry for the "res", but the talk is a deal is done and the real refs could be as soon as this week. Thank god!
Are you sure? There was an agreement made on the fact that there would be a training academy for refs...that's all.
Link Sources: Ref lockout could end soon Updated: September 26, 2012, 12:13 PM ET By Chris Mortensen | ESPN The NFL and the NFL Referees Association made enough progress in negotiations Tuesday night that the possibility of the locked-out officials returning in time to work this week's games has been discussed, according to sources on both sides. An agreement in principle is at hand, according to one source familiar to talks, although NFL owners have postured with a "no more compromise" stance. Although league sources said it would take a week to get the locked-out officials on the field, the NFLRA says its 121 referees have been trained on the new rules implemented last season, have already passed physicals or are prepared to pass physicals immediately. New official game uniforms designed by Nike are "hardly an obstacle," according to a source. Both sides have made concessions on previous sticking points such as a taxi squad of 21 new officials and pension plans that sources say the final meaningful hurdle is, as one source said, "about a little more money." While league sources say owners who participated in a conference call with commissioner Roger Goodell during Tuesday's talks had instructed the negotiating team to set a firm barrier for the financial settlement, the NFLRA is prepared to accept a new agreement primarily in the form of a "ratification bonus," which would compensate its 121-member union for concessions it is willing to make. The NFLRA and the league have all but agreed on developing a 21-member "taxi squad" that Goodell has pushed, but not at the financial cost of the union members. The NFLRA, citing that it once utilized the now-defunct NFL Europe as a training ground of prospective officials, is willing to train 21 officials from the major college ranks by including them in offseason seminars as well as incorporate them in training camp work. The NFLRA would not unionize those officials and would want them compensated by the league if "they are brought up from the minors" to work a regular-season game. Goodell has wanted the power to "bench" officials who underperform or are downgraded during the season. The NFLRA contends the league already has that ability because there are always between one and four crews that sit home each week and would be more qualified to substitute in such a scenario. The NFLRA also wants to form an "expert committee" that would be major contributors to the league's stated goal to improve officiating. Under this proposal, the committee would be comprised of some of the top retired officials and supervisors of major college conferences who had served as NFL officials.
The only good that will come from that debacle, but the damage has been done. It's clear now that a lot of the owners must be going senile.
hmm seems the info is not reliable yet, I read somewhere today that it would still be a few weeks.. so not by this weekend.. ?
The refs know they have the leverage in this hoopla. They are probably sitting back with their arms crossed laughing at the current state and hysteria the replacement refs have caused. Show them the benjaminsss
I don't know about that. Do you know if viewership has gone up or down this season? That's pretty much the only thing that determines leverage in this negotiation. What commentators, coaches, & players say means very little in comparison.
Correct. Even the reported deal that leaked earlier was basically the refs caving to almost all of the NFL's demands in exchange for some cash to buy them off.
The deal is not done yet, but it could be done by tomorrow, or before sunday, or next week. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap10...ent-to-end-lockout?module=HP11_headline_stack The NFL and NFL Referees' Association have negotiated late into the night, and are closing in on an agreement to end the referee lockout, according to two league source. One source said, "it could be an hour, it could be a day" until a deal is done. The NFL and NFLRA are working on finishing a deal on the retirement plan, which was the biggest outstanding issue. The NFL hasn't shut the door on having locked-out officials back on the field for Thursday night's prime-time game between the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens, according to a source involved with the league's plans and, as first reported by SI.com's Peter King, based on the officials' own preparation work. Earlier Wednesday, the league and referees agreed to create a developmental program as a compromise to the NFL's demand for the addition of 21 officials to the current contingent of 121 NFLRA members, per an NFLRA source. The pool of money for the existing officials also will remain the same. The developmental officials will be mentored by the existing crews and will be assigned to work with them during the week. The developmental officials will not be NFLRA members, will not work games, and will not be eligible to be subbed in initially. But eventually, as they improve and reach the standards to be NFL officials, they will be considered for NFLRA membership. As that happens, the financial pool for officials will be adjusted accordingly. Sources from both sides of the negotiations said the two parties agreed it was important for there to be more qualified officials available to the league, particularly for cases during which other officials cannot work due to circumstances outside of football (i.e. personal reasons or injury).
