NFL referees approved a new eight-year deal with the league Sept. 29, by a vote of 112-5, and officially ended a labor dispute that raised the ire of fans, players and coaches. The new agreement between the league and the game officials is the longest in NFL history.
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"The long-term future of our game requires that we seek improvement in every area, including officiating," commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. "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."
Both sides made concessions for the sake of getting a deal completed. Under the new agreement, which runs through the 2019 season, game officials' salaries will increase from an average of $149,000 per year in 2011 to $173,000 in 2013, and then rise to $205,000 by the end of the deal. A major issue for both the NFL and the NFL Referees Association was the retirement plan for officials. The current defined pension plan will remain untouched for current referees through the 2016 season, or until an official earns 20 years of service with the league. The defined benefit plan will then be frozen.
Beginning in 2017, retirement benefits will be provided for new hires, as well as existing officials, through a defined contribution arrangement. According to the NFL, that structure is composed of two elements: an annual contribution the league will make on behalf of each game official, starting with an average in excess of $18,000 per official and increasing to more than $23,000 per official in 2019; and a partial match by the NFL on any additional contribution an official makes to his 401(k) account.
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. The league will also have the option to hire additional officials for training and development purposes and may assign those officials to work NFL games. The NFL will determine the number of extra officials.
Unlike the officials in the other three major leagues in North America -- MLB, the NBA and the NHL -- NFL referees only work part-time. The majority of officials hold positions in full-time jobs. One of the league's most recognizable officials, Ed Hochuli, is a successful trial attorney, while 22-year senior referee Mike Carey owns a ski and snowboarding equipment manufacturer.
Although the contract was not ratified until Sept. 9 at a meeting in Texas, Goodell temporarily lifted the lockout so a veteran NFL officiating crew could work the "Thursday Night Football" game between the Ravens and Cleveland Browns Sept. 27. When that crew took the field at M&T Bank Stadium, the crowd greeted it with a standing ovation.
In an ESPN and Global Strategy poll conducted before the end of the lockout, fans surveyed said the replacement officials had a negative impact on the league's reputation and would impact how much football they watched if the entire season was played with the substitutes.
During games the replacement crews worked, teams appeared to play more aggressively and skirmishes between opposing players occurred more frequently than during previous seasons. The frustration about the replacement officials reached a crescendo when a controversial call on the final play of the "Monday Night Football" game Sept. 24 cost the Green Bay Packers a win against the Seattle Seahawks.
As time expired, Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson threw a Hail Mary pass into the end zone, and both Green Bay safety M.D. Jennings and Seattle wide receiver Golden Tate had their hands on it. One replacement official signaled touchdown, while another called it a touchback. The replacement officials ruled that Tate had caught the pass, resulting in a touchdown and a 14-12 Seattle victory, though replays showed that the ruling should have been in Jennings' favor.
The controversial call dominated not only the sports world, but also mainstream media during the days following the game. Moreover, the call dealt a major credibility blow to the worldwide brand that is the NFL. President Barack Obama and Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney even weighed in on the disputed call and the use of replacement officials.
Dave Curley, the senior vice president of the Maryland-based company Sandy Hillman Communications, has overseen media relations for events such as the World Series of Poker and the Grand Prix of Baltimore. He said the NFL brand may have taken a hit, but fans would likely have short memories as the season progresses.
"For a league that prides itself on delivering the world's premier sports entertainment experience -- and that is fiercely protective of its image -- there's no question the use of replacement referees diminished the NFL's standing in the minds of many in the short term," Curley said. "The issue is whether there will be any lasting impact on the NFL's reputation. I tend to doubt it.
"After a few weeks of business as usual, I suspect that debacles such as the one in the Seahawks-Packers game will be largely forgotten. That having been said, ask me the question again if the Packers miss the playoffs or home-field advantage by a single game."
Not only did the debacle during the Seahawks-Packers game affect team records, it also had significant financial ramifications. ESPN sports business reporter Darren Rovell said the call could potentially cost Green Bay around $2 million in postseason revenue if the team failed to host a home playoff game. Additionally, the call caused a seismic shift in the millions of dollars wagered on the game as oddsmakers listed Green Bay as a 3.5-point favorite. If the play had been ruled an interception, the Packers would have covered the spread with a five-point, 12-7 victory.
John Avello, director of the race and sports book at the Wynn in Las Vegas, told ESPN.com that the call shifted more than $150 million in total bets worldwide. Mike Perry of Sportsbook.ag told the Web site he estimated the swing in money to be between $200 million and $250 million.
During a conference call with reporters Sept. 27 to announce the tentative agreement between the NFL and the NFLRA, Goodell said the uproar about the "Monday Night Football" controversy was not connected to the timing of the deal. He said the two sides had been involved in significant negotiations during the previous couple of weeks, but did acknowledge the Seahawks-Packers game may have pushed the parties further along.
Brian Kessler of Pasadena watched the Monday night game with his son and said he thought the outcry about the controversial call was the impetus to end the lockout.
"I have been following football for over 30 years and never seen anything so ridiculous," Kessler said. "When you have guys from the Lingerie Football League officiating NFL games, something bad is just bound to happen. I think the NFL is probably lucky that the team that got screwed by the replacement officials is publicly owned. … If that happened to a team with a private owner, one of their own, I guarantee you the NFL would have been singing a different tune after that game instead of defending those officials."
The NFL announced it would pay the 112 replacement officials for Week Four even though they did not work the games. Replacement referees will receive $3,500, while the other fill-in officials will be paid $3,000.
Originally Posted Oct. 1, 2012 at PressBoxOnline.com
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