NFL, Refs Close to Deal

The public ridicule seems to have worked: The NFL has resumed talks with its regular referees, and both the ESPN and New York Times say they're on the brink of a deal. One of the last sticking points is figuring out how quickly they could return, but it seems possible they'll be on the field for Sunday's games. It's not clear whether the same holds true for tomorrow night's game between Cleveland and Baltimore. See Bleacher Report for more on the Week 3 debacle. Meanwhile, TMZ notes that Foot Locker has released a tongue-in-cheek statement saying that, "Despite recent allegations, our employees have spent the last few weeks at our stores and not at NFL games.” (More NFL stories.)