Hope is fading that ref lockout will end soon

By Dave Goldberg ~ The Associated Press

NEW YORK -- The NFL and its locked-out officials got nowhere in negotiations Tuesday, despite facing a midweek deadline to reach a deal or go into the regular season with the replacements who worked last week's exhibition games.

After saying last weekend that there was a good chance of a deal, hopes seemed to be fading. Both sides will meet again today.

Tom Condon, the chief negotiator for NFL Referees Association, wouldn't even describe Tuesday's talks as "negotiations" between two sides that are from 50-75 percent apart in their salary proposals.

The same opinion came from the NFL.

"I'm not optimistic because of how far apart I know we are," Dallas owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday. "I'm disappointed, but I'm also very pleased with how the officials that are coming in performed this past weekend. We've had a chance as a league to review each performance and overall it was outstanding."

Jeff Pash, the chief negotiator for the NFL, said Sunday that unless there was a deal in place by "late Wednesday or early Thursday," the league would continue the lockout. Officials would have to know by then what games they were to do and make travel plans.

The NFL also canceled its annual meeting of referees, downfield officials (field judges, side judges and back judges) and replay officials, scheduled for Friday in Dallas. That meeting always has been held two days before the season opens.

High-ranking NFL executives, speaking on the condition of anonymity, also have said if there was no agreement by the start of the regular season, the lockout was likely to continue well into the season.

The replacement officials already have been guaranteed $2,000 a game for four games, regardless of whether they work them or not.