New York, NY

Commissioner Roger Goodell is pleased the NFL came to terms on a new agreement with the league's officials, allowing for "regular" referees to return to action beginning with Thursday night's game between the Browns and Ravens.

The move came just days after a controversial call allowed the Seahawks to defeat the Packers on a disputed touchdown catch in the end zone.

"Obviously when you go through something like this, it's painful for everybody. Most importantly, it's painful for fans," he said on a conference call Thursday, about 12 hours after the league reached a deal to bring back the regular officials. "We're sorry to have to put fans through that. Sometimes you have to go through something like that in the short term for the right agreement for the long term."

Goodell said he was concerned about several aspects of the situation, but is glad it came to an end.

"You're always worried about the short-term impact on your brand and the long-term impact on the brand," he said. "Obviously this has gotten a lot of attention and it hasn't been positive. It's something you have to fight through and get to the long term."

The NFL's regular officiating crews are back, and Commissioner Roger Goodell has apologized to the fans who fretted about the replacements the last three weeks. The NFL and the officials' union have a tentative eight-year agreement

Joint Statement from NFL and NFLRA

The NFL and NFLRA are pleased to announce that they have reached an agreement tonight on an eight-year collective bargaining agreement, subject to ratification by the NFLRA.

"Our officials will be back on the field starting tomorrow night," Commissioner Roger Goodell said. "We appreciate the commitment of the NFLRA in working through the issues to reach this important agreement."

"Our Board of Directors has unanimously approved taking this proposed CBA to the membership for a ratification vote," said Scott Green, president of the NFLRA. "We are glad to be getting back on the field for this week's games."

Copyright © 2012 AHN - All Rights Reserved