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The NFL has reportedly begun recruiting replacement officials in case their union referees are unavailable.
The Athletic reported that teams received a memo from league officials Wednesday informing them that potential replacements had undergone or were in the process of undergoing background checks.
The outlet reported that officials have been working at the NCAA level across all divisions and that physical examinations will follow.
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Referees stand on the field before a game between the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on December 25, 2024. (Trojan Taormina/Imagn Images)
The NFL Referees Association is pursuing a new labor agreement, and teams have been told they should expect replacement officials at practices if a deal isn’t reached by June 1. The current agreement between the NFLRA and the league expires on May 31, and the league and NFLRA have been negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement since the summer of 2024.
“Throughout the process, we will continue to solicit your feedback on the performance of potential replacement officials as we finalize the official slate of games for training camp and preseason games,” Perry Fewell, the league’s senior vice president of officiating, wrote in the memo, via ESPN.
Referee Shawn Hochuli calls a holding penalty during a game between the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills on December 1, 2022, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. (Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)
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“The negotiations have not progressed as we hoped from a timing standpoint,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said after the league’s annual meeting. “We obviously have obligations to the fans and everyone in the National Football League. We will be ready to play. We are taking the appropriate steps to be ready, but we are also very focused on the negotiations.”
Substitute officials were used to start the 2012 season, and perhaps the most infamous outcome was the “Fail Mary” in Seattle, when the Seahawks won on a controversial simultaneous possession call on an end zone play late in the game.
Last year, the NFL signaled its intention to strengthen officiating through stricter accountability and performance standards, saying it “remains focused on implementing changes to the agreement in ways that improve the performance of our game officials, increase accountability and ensure the highest-performing officials officiate our highest-profile games.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, left, talks with referee John Hussey before an NFL playoff football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Minnesota Vikings, January 13, 2025, in Glendale, Arizona. (Ross D. Franklin/AP)
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The NFLRA reportedly resisted at least some proposed changes, favoring the status quo.
