(Reuters) - The NFL and locked-out referees resumed negotiations on Wednesday amid a media report that the two sides had made enough progress that officials might back on field in time for this weekend's games.
The two sides have an agreement in principle, and the only major sticking point is about "a little more money," according to a report on ESPN.com, which cited an unnamed source. The report said the possibility of officials returning to the games this weekend has been discussed.
A deal would come amid mounting criticism of the NFL after a widely panned touchdown call by replacement referees gave the Seattle Seahawks victory over the Green Bay Packers on Monday.
Referees, organized in the NFL Referees Association (NFLRA) have been locked out since June after failing to reach agreement with the league and club owners over a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
After three weeks of games with replacement referees, outraged fans and players have ratcheted up complaints about the lockout, with much of the blame focused on the NFL and its management.
A column in The New York Times by Thad Williamson, an associate professor of leadership studies at the University of Richmond, called on NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to resign.
"He has failed in the first responsibility of any league commissioner, which is to safeguard the integrity and credibility of the game," wrote Williamson.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said talks had resumed Wednesday between the two sides but declined to comment on how the negotiations were progressing.
The NFLRA was not immediately reachable for comment and has followed a low-key strategy in the dispute which primarily focused on changes to their pension arrangement with the league.
The league's official website NFL.com, however, carried a report saying agreement had been reached on one of the thorny issues between the two sides, introducing back-up crews in a developmental program.
ESPN also reported progress on the another sticking point, the pension plans for referees.
Most of the replacements have been drawn from the lower ranks of college and high school football and semi-professional leagues and have struggled with the complex rules for NFL games.
Players continued to pile in on the issue with Cleveland Browns return specialist Josh Cribbs contrasting the league's behavior with their tight regulations on player conduct.
"It makes me angry because we're asked to do so much - pull our socks up, can't wear this, got do this," Cribbs told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "There are so many rules have to be upheld to. And who upholds the rules for them? Who holds the NFL accountable to maintain the integrity of the game?"
A more light-hearted take came from Green Bay where channel NBC26 presented a bungling "Replacement Weather Guy," who forecast that the weather would reach lows of minus-200 degrees and highs of 346 degrees in Wisconsin.
