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NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sends email to fans, tries to explain officiating debacles
With an eight-year labor agreement with the NFLRA in place and ready for ratification by a 51 percent vote by the 121 officials, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell took a moment on Friday to email NFL fans to express "regret" about not being able to reach an agreement sooner and to explain some of the long-term issues (full-time and developmental officials) the league felt were important to obtain in their new agreement with the NFLRA.
[Related: Regular NFL officials return to hero's welcome in Baltimore]
In case you weren't one of the fans to receive this transmission from commissioner Goodell, here is the letter in its entirety, via NFL.com:
To NFL Fans:
The National Football League is at its best when the focus is on the players and the action on the field, not on labor negotiations.
All of us who love the sport appreciate the skills and dedication of the players and coaches. That is why we are focused not just on what happens on the field but what our game will be like in another decade or two. The NFL has always tried to look ahead, to innovate, and to constantly improve in all we do.
We recognize that some decisions may be difficult to accept in the passion of the moment, but my most important responsibility is to improve the game for this generation and the next.
I believe in accountability, not excuses. And I regret we were not able to secure an agreement sooner in the process and avoid the unfortunate distractions to the game. You deserve better.
As a lifelong fan, this wasn't an easy process for anyone involved. I particularly want to commend the replacement officials for taking on an unenviable task and doing it with focus and dedication in the most adverse of circumstances.
Our new agreement gives long-term stability to an important aspect of our game, officiating. More important, with this agreement, officiating will be better in the long run. While the financial issues received the most attention, these negotiations were much more about long-term reforms. For example, beginning with the 2013 season, the NFL will have the option of hiring a number of officials on a full-time basis to work year-round, including on the field. In addition, the NFL will have the option to retain additional officials for training and development purposes, and may assign those additional officials to work NFL games.
We are moving forward with the finest officials in sports back on the field. It's time to put the focus where it belongs — on the clubs and players and our magnificent game, with a special thanks to our fans for their passion.
Roger Goodell
[More: Replacement ref insists he made correct call on late Seattle TD]
Because he earns an eight-figure salary to the bidding of billionaires, Goodell is a fairly easy target for fan anger. And the league certainly took the brunt of the criticism for the labor dispute with the referees. After all, the "finest officials in sports" were locked out from performing their tasks by the National Football League. But it's important to remember that all negotiations are a two-way street and that, as Greg Bedard points out in Friday's Boston Globe, the regular referees, who are in danger of being greeted with public displays of affection from the players, deserve just as much of the blame for the stalemate and the shoddy officiating we saw throughout the preseason and the first three weeks of the regular season that resulted from the dispute.
Fortunately, that's all behind us.
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