The curtain is closer to rising on Fail Mary 2.
Via Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the league informed teams on Wednesday that the officiating staff has started “onboarding” potential replacement officials. Training sessions continue to be planned for next month.
As PFT reported on April 2, the NFL plans an introductory session for May 1 to 3.
Per NFL Network, several officials have completed background checks and will soon undergo physical exams.
The development comes a week after the NFL and NFL Referees Association engaged in a bargaining session that featured owners, including Jerry Jones.
In Wednesday’s memo to teams, the NFL said it “remains committed to reaching a fair and reasonable agreement with the NFL Referees Association but will be fully prepared should the current agreement expire.”
The contract expires on May 31. Whether both sides view May 31 (and not Week 1) as a real deadline could go a long way toward getting a deal done, or not.
Regardless, no one wants another experiment with replacement officials. Here’s hoping both sides will be fair, reasonable, and committed to protecting the integrity of the game.
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