As if the NFL doesn’t have enough problems right now, they’ve apparently caused referee Ed Hochuli to go Hulk.
The men who officiate pro football games currently are locked out by the league, and their union will be holding a conference call Wednesday regarding the situation. One of the participants will be Hochuli.
And if Hochuli will be talking, it could be wise for the reporters to pack a lunch. And a dinner.
Other participants will be referee Scott Green, NFL Referees Association counsel Michael Arnold, and NFLRA executive director Tim Millis.
Topics are scheduled to include the current contract negotiations, the lockout, the NFL’s plan to use replacement officials, and the locked-out officials’ “preparation and training.”
The last subject suggests that the NFLRA will claim that, even though the officials currently are missing no games, they’re not getting the kind of organized work that gets them ready for football season. Which means that, even if the lockout ends before Week One of the regular season, they won’t be as good as they usually are.
Or, as some of you would say, they’ll be worse than they usually are.