NFL begins "onboarding" replacement officials
Fail Mary 2 inches closer.
The curtain is closer to rising on Fail Mary 2 . Via Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the league informed teams on Wednesday that the officiating staff has started “onboarding” potential replacement officials . Training sessions continue to be planned for next month.
As PFT reported on April 2, the NFL plans an introductory session for May 1 to 3 . Per NFL Network, several officials have completed background checks and will soon undergo physical exams. The development comes a week after the NFL and NFL Referees Association engaged in a bargaining session that featured owners, including Jerry Jones.
In Wednesday's memo to teams, the NFL said it “remains committed to reaching a fair and reasonable agreement with the NFL Referees Association but will be fully prepared should the current agreement expire. " The contract expires on May 31. Whether both sides view May 31 (and not Week 1) as a real deadline could go a long way toward getting a deal done, or not.
Regardless, no one wants another experiment with replacement officials. Here's hoping both sides will be fair, reasonable, and committed to protecting the integrity of the game.