<
>

NFL to pay replacement officials

The NFL will pay its 112 replacement officials for this weekend even though they are no longer working games.

The league said Friday it will pay $3,500 to referees and $3,000 to other officials, NFL.com reported.

Replacements worked the first three weeks of the season, causing frustration from players and fans. That frustration hit a fever pitch Monday night when a controversial call cost the Green Bay Packers a win on a chaotic final play against the Seattle Seahawks.

Perhaps sparked by the outcry from the Packers-Seahawks game, the NFL and the officials' union announced at midnight Thursday that a tentative eight-year agreement had been reached to end the lockout that began in June.

In a telephone poll conducted by ESPN and Global Strategy before the lockout ended, fans said the replacement officials had a negative impact on the NFL's reputation and would have had an effect on how much football they watched.