NFL reaches tentative agreement with refs
NEW YORK (AP) - So long, replacement refs. The NFL's regular crews will be back on the field starting Thursday night.
After two days of marathon negotiations — and mounting frustration among coaches, players and fans — the NFL and the referees' union announced at midnight Thursday that a tentative agreement had been reached to end a lockout that began in June.
Commissioner Roger Goodell, who was at the bargaining table Tuesday and Wednesday, said the regular officials would work the Browns-Ravens game at Baltimore.
"Welcome back REFS," Buffalo Bills running back C.J. Spiller tweeted shortly after the news broke.
The replacements worked the first three weeks of games, triggering a wave of outrage that threatened to disrupt the rest of the season. After a missed call cost the Green Bay Packers a win on a chaotic final play at Seattle on Monday night, the two sides really got serious.
"We are glad to be getting back on the field for this week's games," referees' union president Scott Green said.
The tentative eight-year deal is the longest involving on-field officials in NHL history and was reached with the assistance of two federal mediators. It must be ratified by 51 percent of the union's 121 members, who plan to vote Friday and Saturday in Dallas.
The agreement hinged on working out salary, pension and retirement benefits for the officials, who are part-time employees of the league. Tentatively, it calls for their salaries to increase from an average of $149,000 a year in 2011 to $173,000 in 2013, rising to $205,000 by 2019.
Under the proposal, the current defined benefit pension plan will remain in place for current officials through the 2016 season or until the official earns 20 years' service. The defined benefit plan will then be frozen.
Retirement benefits will be provided for new hires, and for all officials beginning in 2017, through a defined contribution arrangement. The annual league contribution made on behalf of each game official will begin with an average of more than $18,000 per official and increase to more than $23,000 per official in 2019.
Beginning with the 2013 season, the NFL will have the option to hire a number of officials on a full-time basis to work year round, including on the field. The NFL also will be able to retain additional officials for training and development, and can assign those officials to work games. The number of additional officials will be determined by the league.
"As you know, this has to be ratified and we know very little about it, but we're excited to be back. And ready," referee Ed Hochuli told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "And I think that's the most important message — that we're ready."
Replacement refs aren't new to the NFL. They worked the first week of games in 2001 before a deal was reached. But those officials came from the highest level of college football; the current replacements do not. Their ability to call fast-moving NFL games drew mounting criticism through Week 3, climaxing last weekend, when ESPN analyst Jon Gruden called their work "tragic and comical."
Those comments came during "Monday Night Football," with Seattle beating Green Bay 14-12 on a desperation pass into the end zone on the final play. Packers safety M.D. Jennings had both hands on the ball in the end zone, and when he fell to the ground in a scrum, both Jennings and Seahawks receiver Golden Tate had their arms on the ball.
The closest official to the play, at the back of the end zone, signaled for the clock to stop, while another official at the sideline ran in and then signaled touchdown.
The NFL said in a statement Tuesday that the touchdown pass should not have been overturned — but acknowledged Tate should have been called for offensive pass interference before the catch. The league also said there was no indisputable evidence to reverse the call made on the field.
That drew even louder howls of disbelief. Some coaches, including Miami's Joe Philbin and Cincinnati's Marvin Lewis, tried to restore some calm by instructing players not to speak publicly on the issue.
Fines against two coaches for incidents involving the replacements were handed out Wednesday.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick was docked $50,000 for trying to grab an official's arm Sunday to ask for an explanation of a call after his team lost at Baltimore. And Washington offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan was tagged for $25,000 for what the league called "abuse of officials" in the Redskins' loss to Cincinnati on Sunday. Two other coaches, Denver's John Fox and assistant Jack Del Rio, were fined Monday for incidents involving the replacements the previous week.
"I accept the discipline and I apologize for the incident," Belichick said.
Players were in no mood for apologies from anyone.
"I'll probably get in trouble for this, but you have to have competent people," Carolina receiver Steve Smith said. "And if you're incompetent, get them out of there."
Added Rams quarterback Sam Bradford: "I just don't think it's fair to the fans, I don't think it's fair to us as players to go out there and have to deal with that week in and week out. I really hope that they're as close as they say they are."
They were.
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AP Sports Writers Tim Reynolds in Miami, Steve Reed in Charlotte, and R.B. Fallstrom in St. Louis contributed to this story.
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Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
Wecome back. Now I will watch the games.
@WendyTeagarden - watched but had to shake my head several times during each game.
I hear the cheerleaders are next and the girls of jersey shores will be the replacements....LOL
In most industries, management/union disputes are very opaque. All you see and hear from the media is the union workers striking, and it's presented as though they "just want more and more salary and benefits", more than the average non-union worker.
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The NFL dispute, however, very visibly shows how and why unions are important in this economy. It is something everyone can relate to...a football game. This is a shining example of why union workers are paid what they are paid. Because they have the skills and training to do the job professionally, correctly, and safely. Why...even Republicans (who usually want to bust unions) are screaming to let the union Ref's back in the game.
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The same is true with almost any union. They form a union because they are skilled professionals and wish to be treated as such. So next time you see any union workers striking, remember how important the NFL union referees were in making sure the job was done professionally, safe, and fair, and you will realize how important union workers are in any industry.
"The tentative eight-year deal is the longest involving on-field officials in NHL history and was reached with the assistance of two federal mediators."
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Ahem.. NHL? the Hockey league is still locked out, we are talking about the National FOOTBALL League in this story.
In a way, I'll sort of miss the replacements. Certainly some of the unpredictability will be gone from the games.
Funny  how suddenly we respect unions.. It's shameful it's over a game, when it's the game of life for most that most of you spew hate at... I will say this again, if it were not for unions in this country we would all be working for peanuts.. We need to salute the unions who have made this country what it is today !
@dougrpdx My relatives in comfortable Sun City, AZ were bashing Unions one day until I told them that their nephew got fired in Wisconsin with all the anti-union stuff going on.  They just sat there with that "oops" look in their eyes.........
It's about time. The lockout had been a joke. They can't find real refs, and that's destroying players careers when they can't maintain control of a game.