Wednesday, August 29, 2001
Replacement refs will work Bengals game
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — With the breakdown of talks in Dallas between the league and the NFL Referees Association, replacement officials will work preseason games, the first labor stoppage among officials in NFL history.
The lockout will begin Thursday night, when six exhibition games are scheduled, including the Bengals playing host to the Indianapolis Colts.
Most of the replacements will be from NFL Europe or the Arena League, and league supervisory officials, all former field officials, also will be on hand.
“We have a duty to our fans and teams, and we cannot go into the regular season with the threat of a sudden work stoppage by our game officials,” commissioner Paul Tagliabue said Tuesday. “Despite our efforts, we remain far apart, and the officials' negotiators have repeatedly refused to consider a no-strike, no-lockout agreement with the NFL covering the 2001 season.”
The officials said the NFL had reneged on some of its pension and benefit improvements. Their salary proposals were 50-75 percent higher than the NFL's offer, which doubles most current salaries by 2003.
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Replacement refs will work Bengals game
