NFL to pay replacement officials

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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.

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