What are NFL replacement refs? History of officials used during referee strikes in football league

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Referees aren't the most popular people in an NFL game, but they are crucial to making football games run smoothly over the course of the year. So, when the league has to go to replacement refs, the drop-off in quality is notable.

Every so often, the league and the NFL Referees Association get into a CBA dispute that leads to the NFL threatening to replace the officials with replacements who aren't in the union. However, that also means that the league is risking a drop in the quality of NFL games, as the replacements are backups for a reason.

Here's a breakdown of the NFL's history using replacement refs.

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What are NFL replacement refs?

NFL replacement refs are the referees that the league hires to fill in when the usual referees go on strike or the league locks them out. Replacement refs only work in the NFL every decade or so, when the referee CBA with the NFL expires and the NFL and referee union can't agree on a new deal before the season begins.

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Who are the NFL replacement refs?

Replacement refs are backup referees who usually have experience officiating lower-level football games, along with whatever it is they do for day jobs. These referees are not part of the referees' union, and therefore typically do not have any experience officiating NFL games.

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NFL replacement ref history

Twice in the history of the NFL have the referees been locked out to begin a season, resulting in the NFL using replacements refs for a period of time.

2001 NFL referee lockout

The first time that the NFL used replacement referees was in 2001, when the league locked the referees out starting with the final preseason game. The replacement refs then worked Week 1 on the NFL season as the two sides continued bargaining.

That year, the NFL postponed Week 2 of the NFL season following the 9/11 attacks. Before the league returned to action in Week 3, the NFL and NFL Referees Association agreed to a new CBA, ending the need for replacement refs. 

2012 NFL referee lockout

In 2012, the NFL once again used replacement refs after locking out the NFL Referees Association. This time, the referees' CBA expired in May, and the league and union were unable to agree to a new deal despite months of negotiating.

This dispute lasted into the NFL season, as the league hired replacement refs and keep the referees locked out. However, this proved to be messy, as players, coaches and fans were all frustrated by the replacement refs' lack of consistency and success.

After three weeks of the regular season, which was highlighted by the infamous "Fail Mary" game, the NFL and referees' union agreed to a new CBA that allowed the officials to return to work.

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NFL replacement refs criticism

While replacement refs worked during Week 1 of the 2001 season, the only time they saw extended action was for the first three weeks of the 2012 season. Players, coaches and fans got increasingly frustrated over those three weeks, believing that the replacement refs weren't doing a good enough job at controlling the game and making the right calls.

Packers vs. Seahawks 'Fail Mary'

The infamous incident during the replacement refs' 2012 tenure came on "Monday Night Football" in Week 3. The Seattle Seahawks hosted the Green Bay Packers in a close game, but the entire contest was marred by bad officiating.

Then, in the final play of the game, two referees disagreed on a Russell Wilson Hail Mary attempt, as one called the play a touchdown while another ruled it an interception. The image of one ref with his hands up signaling touchdown next to another ref waiving his arms to signal an interception is one many fans will never forget.

Two days after this national TV disaster, the NFL and referee union agreed to a deal to let the standard refs return to the field in Week 4.

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