Report: NFL May Start Season With Replacement Refs
(WSCR) It's no secret the replacement referees employed by the NFL have not been met kindly thus far.
As the NFL and then NFL Referees Association continue to fumble in agreeing on a new contract, it appears those replacement referees may have to officiate Week 1 of the regular season.
ESPN reports: "At a time when players are openly criticizing replacement officials and coaches are privately grumbling about them, the NFL and NFL Referees Association are not making any progress towards a new deal, according to sources familiar with the talks."
The Network reports there are two main issues in debate: First, the NFL wants some referees to work full-time but most officials have other jobs and refuse to sacrifice the income from their second job. Second, there is a rift over adding officiating crews (the NFL wants this; the locked-out refs do not).
