NFL to use replacement officials for first week of season

Replacement officials take the field at the start of an NFL football preseason game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Tennessee Titans, in Seattle, Aug. 11, 2012 . (AP / Rick Bowmer)

NEW YORK -- The NFL will open the regular season with replacement officials.

Replacements will be on the field beginning next Wednesday night when the Cowboys visit the Giants to open the season, league executive Ray Anderson told the 32 teams. Negotiations are at a standstill between the NFL and the officials' union,

The NFL Referees Association was locked out in early June and talks on a new collective bargaining agreement went nowhere. Replacements have been used throughout the preseason, with mixed results.

In 2001, the NFL used replacements for the first week of the regular season before a contract was finalized.

Anderson, the NFL's executive vice-president of football operations, told the clubs in a memo Wednesday that the replacements will work "as much of the regular season as necessary," adding that training with each crew will continue.

The NFL notes it has expanded the use of instant replay as an officiating tool this year to include all scoring plays and turnovers. Officiating supervisors will be on hand to assist the crews on game administration issues.

"We are not surprised, based on Ray Anderson's statements ... that the NFL was not going to reach out to us," NFLRA spokesman Michael Arnold said. "However, this is consistent with the NFL's negotiating strategy which has been 'take it or leave it and lock them out.' It now appears the NFL is willing to forego any attempt to reach a deal in the last seven days before opening night."

The NFL Players Association, which of course went through a 4 1/2- month lockout last year before settling on a new contract, expressed disappointment about the decision to use replacements.

Colts safety Antoine Bethea said there is a feeling of solidarity with the officials.

"They've got to do what they've got to do, and we were in a similar situation a little while ago," Bethea said. "So you can't fault those guys for doing what they have to do."

Anderson said the sides remain considerably apart on economic issues, including salary and retirement benefits. He also told the teams there is a substantial difference on operational issues.

"One of our key goals in this negotiation is to enhance our ability to recruit, train, and replace officials who are not performing adequately," Anderson said. "We believe that officials should be evaluated and performance issues addressed in the same way as players, coaches, club management and league staff. We have proposed several steps to accomplish this, including having a number of full-time officials and expanding the overall number of officials."

The NFL is offering to add three full officiating crews, increasing the total number of officials to 140. The NFLRA insists the compensation being offered with such an increase would reduce their pay.

The league is proposing having seven officials -- one per position of referee, umpire, line judge, side judge, back judge, field judge, head linesman -- who would train, scout, handle communications, safety issues and rules interpretations year-round. Now, all NFL game officials are part-time employees, with outside jobs ranging from lawyer to teacher to business owner.

In response, the NFLRA has said it is not opposed to full time officials "if they are fairly compensated."

The union also disputes the value of the league's current salary offer, which it says would not be the 5 per cent to 11 per cent increase the NFL claims.

And the union questions the league's adherence to player safety initiatives by using replacement officials, none of whom recently has worked Division I college games. Many of the officials who were replacements in 2001 came from the Division I level.

"The league has placed a lot of emphasis on player health and safety in the last few years and we do feel we are an integral part of that," Arnold said. "We think it is unfortunate and we really don't understand why the league is willing to risk playing safety and the integrity of the game by utilizing amateur officials."

Anderson told the teams that the replacements have "undergone extensive training and evaluation, and have shown steady improvement during the preseason."

Naturally, Arnold disagreed.

"The referees want to get back on the field," Arnold said of the impasse. "Our members have been engaged in extensive preparations and are ready to go."