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National Football League
NFL referees to
return to the field
The NFL reached an eight-year agreement with the NFL Referees
Association on Wednesday night to end the lockout, and NFL Commissioner
Roger Goodell said the refs will be back on the field starting Thursday
night.
The new collective bargaining agreement is the longest between the
league and game officials in NFL history.
"The long-term future of our game requires that we seek improvement in
every area, including officiating," Goodell said in a statement
released by the league. "This agreement supports long-term reforms that
will make officiating better. The teams, players and fans want and
deserve both consistency and quality in officiating.
"We look forward to having the finest officials in sports back on the
field, and I want to give a special thanks to NFL fans for their
passion. Now it's time to put the focus back on the teams and players
where it belongs."
Goodell temporarily lifted the lockout so officials can work Thursday
night's game between the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens (8 p.m.
ET on NFL Network). Officials will vote on the agreement Friday and
Saturday in Dallas, and a clinic for them will be held after the vote.
The outcome in the Green Bay Packers-Seattle Seahawks game on Monday
night wasn't considered the "tipping point," but it did accelerate the
push from both sides to get a deal done "for the good of the game," a
source directly involved in the negotiations told NFL Network's Steve
Wyche on Thursday morning.
Although a lot of owners were involved in talks, the source said those
directly involved were: Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank , Clark Hunt
(Kansas City Chiefs), John Mara (New York Giants), Bob McNair (Houston
Texans), Jerry Richardson (Carolina Panthers) and Art Rooney
(Pittsburgh Steelers).
NFL referee Ed Hochuli told NFL.com's Jeff Darlington that he's ready
to work a game this weekend. The officials expect to ratify the deal
Saturday morning, Hochuli said.
"But all 121 guys and I are very glad we're back," Hochuli said. "We
are ready. We missed preseason, and there's nothing we can do about
missing on-field practice. But we've worked very, very hard over the
last several months. We've taken 18 extensive rules tests, watched
hours and hours of video every week. We've worked very hard to be
prepared. I think we're ready."
When asked how many curls he did when he heard the rumors that a deal
might be getting done today, the famously muscular Hochuli said, "As
soon as I heard the rumors, I got down on the floor and started doing
pushups."
The league released the following terms of the agreement:
» The current defined benefit pension plan will remain in place for
current officials through the 2016 season (or until the official earns
20 years of service). The defined benefit plan then will be frozen.
» Retirement benefits will be provided for new hires, and for all
officials beginning in 2017, through a defined contribution
arrangement, which will have two elements: an annual league
contribution made on behalf of each game official that will begin with
an average of more than $18,000 per official and increase to more than
$23,000 per official in 2019, and a partial match on any additional
contribution that an official makes to his 401(k) account.
» Apart from their benefit package, the game officials' compensation
will increase from an average of $149,000 per year in 2011 to $173,000
in 2013, rising to $205,000 by 2019.
» Beginning with the 2013 season, the NFL will have the option of
hiring a number of officials on a full-time basis to work year-round,
including on the field.
» The NFL will have the option to retain additional officials for
training and development purposes and can assign those additional
officials to work NFL games. The number of additional officials will be
determined by the NFL.
The NFL used replacement referees for the first three weeks of the
season, triggering a wave of outrage that culminated Monday night with
the Green Bay Packers' loss on a chaotic final play at Seattle.
Read this and other articles at nfl.com
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