NEW YORK (AP Aug 29, 2012) – The NFL will open the regular season with
replacement officials.
League executive Ray Anderson has told the 32 teams that with
negotiations remain at a standstill between the NFL and the
officials’ union.
The replacements will be on the field beginning next Wednesday night when the Cowboys visit the Giants to open the season.
The NFL Referees Association was locked out in early June and
talks on a new collective bargaining agreement went nowhere.
Replacements have been used throughout the preseason, with mixed
results.
In 2001, the NFL used replacements for the first week of the
regular season before a contract was finalized.
