When it comes to the lockout of officials, the NFL Players Association has been largely huffing and puffing.
This week, the huffing and puffing continued. Jay Glazer of FOX reports that the union sent a letter to the league this week, insisting that the locked-out officials be immediately reinstated, for safety reasons. The league, predictably, has declined.
We believe that using replacement officials definitely gives rise to potential safety concerns. With the officials now charged with spotting men who may need to be evaluated for concussions, the replacement officials may simply be overloaded with responsibilities as they adjust to NFL football, and thus unable to properly spot potential head injuries.
Still, if the union truly is concerned about safety, why hasn’t the union taken action? There’s no way the players would have walked out over the issue, but there has to be something more direct that the league could do other than send letters or talk tough.