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NFL Replacement Refs To Start Season

NFL replacement referees will start the 2012 regular season.

By Avinash Kunnath
KANSAS CITY, MO - AUGUST 24: Referees huddle in conference during the NFL preseason game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on August 24, 2012 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO - AUGUST 24: Referees huddle in conference during the NFL preseason game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on August 24, 2012 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Getty Images

The stalemate between the NFL replacement referees and the league drags on, and it looks like it's going to bleed into the regular season.

This will be bad news for just about everyone, as the NFL officials that have been on the field this preseason have not been performing well enough to satisfy the fans watching the games. Replacement refs will be trained for as long as needed.

This is not the first time the NFL and the Referees' Association have struggled to come to terms. In 2001, the refs were replaced for the opening week of the season.

The big issues that the officials' union appear to be concerned about are salary and retirement benefits. The NFL has also suggested adding new officiating crews, but the NFLRA counters that this would reduce the pay of current officials that are on the job right now.

It looks like this situation has a long way to progress before headway is made.

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