NFLPA Backs Refs, Says NFL Needs 'Trained, Professional Officials' amid Contract Talks

The NFL Players' Association is backing the NFL Referees Association amid reports that the NFL is preparing to hire replacement officials during stalled CBA negotiations with the referees union.

NFLPA executive director JC Tretter said in a statement on Wednesday that "player safety requires trained, professional officials on the field."

"They manage the game in real time, enforce the rules, and stop situations from escalating," Tretter said. "That can't be replaced by less experienced crews or handled remotely. If player safety truly matters, trained professional officials on the field are not negotiable."

The current CBA between the NFL and NFLRA is set to expire on May 31. ESPN's Kevin Seifert and Kalyn Kahler reported last Sunday that the NFL plans to begin training replacement officials May 1.

Seifert previously reported earlier in March that the NFL had been working to put together "a list of about 150 mostly small college officials" who could be trained as potential replacements for union refs.

Tretter's statement came after he and NFLRA executive director Scott Green met Tuesday "to discuss growing concerns regarding the potential use of lower-level replacement officials in NFL games," according to a joint statement from the two organizations.

Their meeting took place the same day the NFL's competition committee approved a one-year rule that would allow the league's New York-based replay center to change "clear and obvious mistakes made by on-field officials that impact the game."

Green and Tretter said in their joint statement they were in agreement that "no centralized system can substitute for experienced officials making immediate, on-field judgments— particularly in a league that demands split-second decision-making and deep familiarity with rules, game situations, and player tendencies."

The NFLPA and NFLRA leaders "warned that less experienced officials are more likely to miss calls or respond late in critical moments, increasing the risk of player injuries," according to the statement.

Player safety isn't the only basis on which Green has pushed back against the NFL's plan to replace NFLRA officials.

According to Seifert, Green expressed concern in March there would be "an increased vulnerability to gamblers among replacement officials."

The NFL last used replacement referees during a lockout between the league and NFLRA during the 2012 season, a period that ended with referees infamously signaling opposite rulings on the crucial final play of a Week 3 matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers.

The Associated Press reported at the time that there was a betting swing of more than $300 million on that call, a number that would likely skyrocket in 2026 amid the rise of legal sports gambling.

An NFL source told Seifert and Kahler the referees union and league are "far apart on economics," and that the NFL is bracing for a lockout.

If the CBA ultimately expires without a resolution, the NFL plans to train replacement officials in a four-day May clinic, then have them train throughout the summer and visit training camps before making their pro officiating debut, according to Seifert.