On Wednesday, the league had no comment on the emergence of indications that the league has begun compiling a roster of replacement officials, in the event the NFL again locks out its game officials.
On Thursday, the league issued a lengthy comment blaming the development on the NFL Referees Association.
“In almost two years of negotiations, the union has made no effort to work with us on a goal we should all share — ensuring an officiating culture that’s centered around performance and accountability,” NFL executive vice president of communications, public affairs, and policy Jeff Miller said, via Kevin Seifert of ESPN. “Over the course of that period, we have made numerous proposals that reflect a commitment to rewarding performance, while the union has refused to engage at all on economics. Their focus has centered on demands unrelated to improving the game, such as marketing fees and travel perks.
“We will continue to engage at the bargaining table in the hope of reaching an agreement that strengthens officiating overall and is ultimately best for the game. However, given the union’s refusal to discuss material terms and the rapidly approaching expiration of the current agreement, we have been compelled to take steps to ensure football continues uninterrupted this season.”
The NFLRA has said little if anything about the dynamics of the bargaining process. That’s a mistake. The union needs to meet the P.R. campaign head-on — especially since the NFLRA is operating at a significant disadvantage when it comes to the effort to win the hearts and minds of media and fans. (The NFL, after all, now owns 10 percent of ESPN.)
Yes, NFLRA executive director Scott Green issued a comment after word of the effort to hire replacement officials emerged. That’s not nearly enough. The union needs to be aggressive. It needs to be persistent. It needs to be loud.
Get your version of the negotiations out there. Seize on the fact that the league is considering a return of rank amateurs to one of the most vital functions in football. With gambling now legal in most states, getting it right means more than ever.
The league’s position, in isolation, seems plausible. The NFL believes the NFLRA is being unreasonable in its demands, and the NFL needs to plan accordingly. The NFLRA surely could characterize the NFL as being unreasonable in its demands, painting the NFL as willing to play Russian roulette with the integrity of the game in order to justify not devoting proper resources to the effort to ensure that the best officials in football get their fair share.
Collective bargaining is about much more than bargaining. The NFL knows it. The sooner the NFLRA figures it out, the more likely it becomes that another Fail Mary controversy will be avoided.