05/08/26 12:59:00
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05/08 12:13 CDT NFL and referees agree on a 7-year collective bargaining
agreement, avoiding potential work stoppage
NFL and referees agree on a 7-year collective bargaining agreement, avoiding
potential work stoppage
By ROB MAADDI
AP Pro Football Writer
The NFL and the NFL Referees Association agreed Friday on a new seven-year
collective bargaining agreement that avoids a potential work stoppage and use
of replacement officials.
The agreement, which was approved by the union's board of directors and
ratified by a vote of the membership, runs through the 2032 NFL season.
"We see this new CBA as a partnership with the league that benefits our
membership but also seeks to make our game better. It is good to get these
negotiations behind us so we can focus on preparing for the 2026 season," union
President Carl Cheffers said.
The NFL's collective bargaining agreement with the referees association had
been set to expire on May 31, and the two sides began negotiating in the summer
of 2024.
The league began the onboarding process for replacement officials last month
because negotiations weren't progressing. But they won't be necessary.
The league and the union said in a joint statement that the deal covers a wide
range of issues including economics, performance and accountability.
"This agreement is a testament to the joint commitment of the league and union
to invest in and improve officiating," said Troy Vincent, NFL executive vice
president of football operations. "It also speaks to the game officials'
relentless pursuit of improvement and officiating excellence. We look forward
to working together for the betterment of the game."
Detailed terms weren't released.
But two people with knowledge of the offer told The Associated Press in March
that the NFL had increased its offer to a 6.45% annual growth rate in
compensation over a six-year labor deal.
A stalemate in 2012 resulted in a 110-day lockout and replacement referees were
used.
That led to several high-profile mistakes, including the Fail Mary when Russell
Wilson completed a desperation pass to Golden Tate in the closing seconds to
lift Seattle over Green Bay in a Monday night game. Tate pushed off so he
should've been penalized for offensive pass interference. He appeared to
wrestle the ball away from a Packers defender and was given credit for a catch
even though two officials had called it differently.
There weren't as many glaring errors when the NFL also used replacement
officials for one week of exhibition games and the opening week in 2001 before
the labor dispute was resolved shortly after 9/11, and the regular officials
returned in time when the season resumed following a one-week break.
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