Aug 30, 2012; Detroit, MN, USA; NFL referee Henry Zaborniak gestures in the fourth quarter in a preseason game between the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-US Presswire
Michael Arnold, lead negotiator for the NFL Referees Association, says the union remains "willing to negotiate with the NFL in order to reach a fair agreement." But Arnold says "no additional meetings are scheduled at this time."
The league locked out the referees in early June, then hired replacements, whose work in exhibition games has been heavily criticized.
In 2001, the NFL used replacements for the first week of the regular season before a contract was finalized. The speed of the game and the amount of time starters are on the field increase exponentially for real games, making the replacements' task more challenging.
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