It has been widely speculated throughout the day, but it is now official. The NFL’s referees and the NFL have reached a deal to end the lockout, so the lunacy can come to an end. And who would’ve thought that Monday night’s gaffe would be the reason why?

For a $9 billion business, the NFL couldn’t possibly have handled this situation any worse. When you realize the two sides were griping over thousands of dollars, it makes the situation laughable. The NFL compromised its product and became the laughingstock of the sporting world for the first time in a very long time.

It is good to know that cooler heads have prevailed and order has been restored. I just hope we don’t find out that Ed Hochuli is a Ravens fan.

From NFL.com…

The NFL reached an agreement with the NFL Referees Association late Wednesday to end the referee lockout and are working on the paperwork now, according to a league source.

A high-ranked referee told NFL.com and NFL Network’s Jeff Darlington earlier that the officials are prepared to immediately begin work, noting he and many others have gotten access to all of the videos from the last three weeks of games that were distributed to the replacement officials.