The National Football League (NFL) has announced it has begun the process of interviewing, hiring and training potential replacement referees for the 2012 NFL season. The League took this step as collective bargaining negotiations with the National Football League Referees Association (NFLRA) have broken down and the successful negotiation of an agreement may not be achieved in time for the upcoming season. Regional training sessions for potential replacement referees are scheduled to begin in the next few weeks to guarantee the League and its fans a potential on-going dispute with the NFLRA will not disrupt the season.

Negotiations between the NFL and its referees appear to have taken a bad turn following two negotiating sessions under the guidance of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. The NFL terminated negotiations after new demands were added by the NFLRA after the second mediation session.

“The NFLRA abandoned positions that it had previously taken and made demands totally million of dollars that they had agreed to drop in earlier negotiating sessions,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello commented.

It seems the game officials — most of whom hold other full-time jobs — were offered a seven-year deal that included annual wage increases between 5 percent and 11 percent. First-year officials who made an average of $78,000 in 2011 would earn more than $165,000 by the end of the new agreement. A 10-year veteran in 2011 who made $139,000 would get more than $200,000 by 2018.

In response to the apparent breakdown in negotiations, the NFL players’ union expressed its concern about the potential use of replacement officials, stating, “…the NFL tasked officials with increased responsibilities in protecting player health and safety, and its search for scabs undermines that important function. Professional athletes require professional referees, and we believe in the NFL Referees Association’s first trained responders.”

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Photo of Gregg E. Clifton Gregg E. Clifton

Gregg E. Clifton is a Principal in the Phoenix, Arizona, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. He is Co-Leader of the Collegiate and Professional Sports Practice Group and serves as the editor of the firm’s sports law blog.

Mr. Clifton has extensive experience in…

Gregg E. Clifton is a Principal in the Phoenix, Arizona, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. He is Co-Leader of the Collegiate and Professional Sports Practice Group and serves as the editor of the firm’s sports law blog.

Mr. Clifton has extensive experience in the collegiate and professional sports world. He has advised numerous professional franchises on general labor and employment issues, including Title III ADA regulatory compliance and wage and hour issues. He serves as lead counsel for several Major League Baseball teams in their salary arbitration matters and has represented NCAA and NAIA collegiate clients regarding rules compliance, investigatory matters and in disciplinary hearings. In addition, he has handled Title IX investigations and compliance issues for NCAA and NAIA member institutions. Mr. Clifton has also worked extensively in the area of agent regulation and enforcement in professional and college sports and regularly provides counsel on issues relating to NCAA and NAIA amateurism issues and athlete eligibility questions. He has also served as an expert witness in matters involving sports agents’ work and responsibilities, as well as athlete compensation issues.

Prior to joining Jackson Lewis, he spent six years as Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Team Sports for Gaylord Sports Management. He also served as President of the Athlete and Entertainment Division for famed sports attorney Bob Woolf’s firm, Woolf Associates, in Boston.

Mr. Clifton began his career as an Associate at Jackson Lewis where he focused his practice on traditional labor law. He continues to counsel clients in the areas of collective bargaining negotiations, representation cases, arbitrations and National Labor Relations Board matters.

Mr. Clifton frequently serves as an expert speaker to law schools, including Harvard University, Boston College, Hofstra University and Arizona State University, and bar associations regarding sports law issues, including agent regulation and salary arbitration. He is also often cited as an expert source in national news media for his commentary and opinion on legal issues in sports.