Crisis averted. By an overwhelming margin, the NFL Referees Association approved the new seven-year collective bargaining agreement with the NFL on Friday.
The previous collective bargaining agreement was set to expire on May 31. The NFL had been preparing to use replacement officials before they signed the new agreement.
“This agreement is a testament to the joint commitment of the league and union to invest in and improve officiating,” NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent said in a statement. “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.”
The NFL reportedly began recruiting and training new referees and discussed rule changes for the upcoming season if they couldn’t reach an agreement. The potential rule changes would have allowed the league office in New York to be more involved in overseeing games remotely and to use instant replay more widely than in the past.
“It was a mutual and determined effort, and the outcome is seven years of certainty for the league and the officials,” NFL Referees Association executive director Scott Green said in a statement. “We appreciate Troy Vincent and [lead negotiator] Larry Ferazani and their staff for recognizing that working together to find solutions is the best course of action to reach a long-term agreement.”