http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/09/26/report-nfl-refs-reach-agreement-refs-could-return-for-week-4/Report: NFL, NFLRA Reach Agreement; Refs Could Return For Week 4
September 26, 2012 12:27 PM
BOSTON (CBS) – Football fans may not have to worry about the replacement referee drama for much longer.
CBSSports.com’s Mike Freeman has confirmed a report that an agreement between the NFL and NFLRA to get the regular referees back is on the horizon.
But until the ink is dry, nothing is set in stone.
Sports Illustrated’s Peter King tweeted a short time after that NFLRA negotiator Scott Green has told the officials that a deal is not imminent.
ESPN’s Chris Mortensen first reported the two sides agreed to a deal in principle, and the real officials could be back on the field this weekend for Week 4.
Mortenson writes: 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.
The replacement referee experiment hit a boiling point over the weekend, with several bad calls and incidents with the replacement officials.
Freeman reported earlier on Wednesday that the NFL and NFL Referees Association (NFLRA) agreed on a mentoring/training program that would create a larger pool of potential referees to replace struggling refs on the field.
