Sources: NFL command center might assist if replacement refs used

"The collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and NFL Referees Association is set to expire May 31. Negotiations have reached a stalemate, prompting the league to begin contacting college officiating supervisors to compile a list of approximately 150 officials to serve as replacements. To help mitigate their inexperience at the NFL level, the league's competition committee is finalizing a series of contingent rule changes."

"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. 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."

"The league's competition committee is finalizing a series of contingent rule changes that would allow league employees at the Art McNally Gameday Central command center in New York City to enforce health and safety penalties, among others -- an aggressive move toward centralized officiating after years of small steps."

The NFL and NFL Referees Association's collective bargaining agreement expires May 31, with negotiations stalled. The league is compiling a list of approximately 150 college officiating supervisors as replacement officials. To address their inexperience, the NFL competition committee is finalizing contingent rule changes allowing league employees at the Art McNally Gameday Central command center in New York to enforce health and safety penalties and other infractions. This represents a significant centralization of officiating authority. The league seeks changes to officiating practices focused on performance and accountability. The union has rejected proposals, instead demanding marketing fees and travel perks unrelated to game improvement.

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