Update 1:00 a.m. Thursday The NFL has officially announced a tentative eight-year labor agreement with its referees union.
The 122 members of the union are expected to approve the new deal during a vote that will be held on Friday and Saturday.
League commissioner Roger Goodell will temporarily lift the referee lockout on Thursday so a union referee crew can work Thursday night's scheduled game between the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns.
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Initial story below.
A labor deal has been reached between the the NFL and its referees union, according to various reports late Wednesday night.
Find out what's happening in Lower Providencefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Yahoo! Sports's Doug Farrar reported shortly before 11:00 p.m. Wednesday that a deal was "imminent." The Associated Press reported just before midnight Wednesday that according to its sources, a "tentative" deal had been reached.
Stalled negotiations reportedly picked up following the controversial touchdown call that gave the Seattle Seahawks a 14-12 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Monday night football.
Former NFL referee and NFL supervisor of officials Jim Daopoulous said on his Twitter feed Wednesday night that a deal had been completed and that referees would take the field for a scheduled Thursday night game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns.
Howard Eskin of SportsRadio 94WIP in Philadelphia reported that the deal won't be official until Friday, but that regular officials would work the Thursday night game.
Bergen Record (NJ) columnist Tara Sullivan reported that the new deal would be eight years in length.
Official confirmation of the deal had yet to be announced by the NFL or the referees union late Wednesday night.
