NFL Prepares Replacement Refs for May

0:00On March 30th, the NFL is gearing up to higher replacement referees as early as May if they can't ink a new deal with the Refs Union by May. 31st, when the current 6-year contract expires, League bosses are already scouting talent from Division 1, 2, and 3 college games to avoid the chaos of past lockouts. Negotiations hit a wall last week over big disagreements like accountability for bad calls, with the NFL pushing for extra training and united. Football League stands for underperformers. Pay is another flashpoint. The League offers 6.45% yearly bumps over 6 years, but the Union wants over 10%, comparing, salaries to baseball umbs and NBA Refs. Union leaders push back hard on full-time crew chiefs and prefers seniority for playoff gigs over pure performance bicks. They call for fair pay that matches their role in the League's success, while most Refs stick to part-time gigs alongside other jobs. The NFL plans to bring on 150 to 180 replacements, train them all summer, and test them in

1:04training camps to match pro. Speed without jumping straight into preseason mess-ups like in 2012. With talks stalled and no quick fix in sight, the League's memo to teams warns against public chatter, signaling their prepping backups while hoping. Cooler heads prevail before summer camps kick off. You've been listening to NFL News today, AI-powered football coverage.