Roger Goodell on negotiations with officials: "We're not itching for a lockout"
They may not be itching for a lockout, but they're definitely planning for one.
The talk around the negotiations between the NFL and the NFL Referees Association has died down in recent weeks. And that's a good sign. It's not a time for posturing or propaganda pushed to media partners.
It's a time for rolling up the sleeves and getting stuff done. Appearing on Friday's edition of The Pat McAfee Show , Commissioner Roger Goodell was asked about the status of the talks. "The number one thing is we definitely want an agreement with the officials," Goodell said.
"We're not itching for a lockout. What we are trying to do, though, is make our officials more accountable, get the best performers on the field, and make officiating better. Ultimately that's what you want, because when the real officials show up and they make a mistake, you're gonna say the same thing.
And so we've got to get the best officials out there, train them. If they can't officiate at this level, we want to be able to make changes, and we don't want to put people out there that aren't ready to be able to officiate at this level. So those are the real key issues for us ā performance.