After 3 weeks of horrible officiating, the NFL and the NFL Referees Association have reached a tentative eight year agreement to bring the regular refs back starting tonight in the Ravens/Browns game. Commissioner Roger Goodell apologized to fans for the long drawn out labor dispute and the resulting weeks of poor calls. The final straw that brought about the end of the lockout was the disputed touchdown from the Seahawks/Packers game on Monday.
Under the new deal with the league, officials will receive a salary increase, the current pension plan will remain in place until 2016 and then be frozen. Beginning in 2017 they will do a retirement benefits through an employer contribution. The league also has the option of hiring referees on a full time basis to work year round both on the field for games and off the field for training and development.
With the new long term deal in place, officials, players, coaches and fans will be happy to see the return of proper officiating and hopefully the end of sloppily called games.
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