The NFLPA is facing fresh criticism, this time for staying silent on reports that the NFL is getting ready to use replacement referees. As concerns grow about how this could affect the integrity of games, more people around the football world are starting to push back. Adding to that, the Pittsburgh Steelers legend, James Harrison, didn’t hold back and called out the NFLPA publicly on social media.

“That worked out great in 2012! And where is the @NFLPA at on this? No comment?” James Harrison posted on X.

His comment came as a repost of Adam Schefter’s update saying the NFL is preparing to bring in replacement officials if a new CBA isn’t agreed upon with the NFL Referees Association. The situation comes from ongoing talks between the league and the NFLRA. Their current agreement is set to expire on May 31, 2026, and if they don’t reach a deal, the NFL has already started lining up backup officials for the 2026 season. And this is not the first time such a situation has occurred.

In 2012, the NFL used replacement referees from the college, high school, and semi-pro levels for a 110-day lockout, which included regular-season games. The situation came to a head when the Seattle Seahawks were given a touchdown on the infamous “Fail Mary” call, which allowed them to beat the Green Bay Packers 14-12 in the game on September 24, 2012.

Therefore, Harrison made sure to throw a sarcastic jab at the labor union, as in the present situation, reports say the league is again putting together a list of around 150 mostly small-college officials.

They could also start onboarding as early as April, attend a four-day clinic in May, and continue training during the summer. If there’s still no agreement, they would also attend training camps before the start of the regular season, according to emails, as mentioned by ESPN.

However, NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller explained that the league has been forced to start preparing for these situations.

“We will continue to engage at the bargaining table in the hope of reaching an agreement that strengthens officiating overall and is ultimately best for the game,” Miller said per ESPN. “However, given the union’s refusal to discuss material terms and the rapidly approaching expiration of the current agreement, we have been compelled to take steps to ensure football continues uninterrupted this season.”

Even though Miller says the goal is to keep the season running smoothly, a large part of the football community isn’t convinced this is the right approach.

Criticism builds across the league over the NFL’s replacement officials plan

While the league is trying to address the reasons why they might be “compelled” to look at the use of replacement officials, Scott Green, the executive director of the NFLRA, said that he’s “surprised” the NFL would even think about going down that road again after what happened in 2012.

Green also brought up some of the deeper concerns that go along with that scenario. One concern is that the replacement officials might be easier targets for gamblers to influence. There are safety concerns as well. These officials are not used to the speed and physicality of the game.

Former quarterback Chase Daniel also spoke out strongly on the topic.

“This is the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE…we can’t be doing the replacement refs thing again,” Chase Daniel wrote on his X post. “Even considering this again is insane. We already saw how that played out in 2012, and it took one national TV disaster to fix it. This isn’t just about missed calls….It impacts protections, tempo, communication… you’re not tweaking officiating, you’re changing the entire game.”

ESPN’s Pat McAfee shared a similar reaction.

“NOPE. WE CAN’T BE DOING REPLACEMENT HIGH SCHOOL REFS IN THE NFL AGAIN. @NFL, time to start the retired player pipeline. FOR THE GOOD OF BALL,” McAfee posted on X.

NFL analyst Warren Sharp also raised concerns, especially about the money involved. He basically questioned how they can afford to allow games to be determined by a relatively small group of less-experienced referees, particularly when they have billions of dollars on the line each year.

At the end of the day, it is apparent that the notion of using replacement referees is problematic in terms of fairness, safety, and integrity. They cannot afford to make the same mistakes that they made in the past.