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NEW YORK (AP) -- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is apologizing to fans for having to use replacement officials during a lockout of regular refs.

The impasse led to three weeks of questionable calls- and one that cost the Green Bay Packers a win.

Goodell made his comments Thursday during a conference call about 12 hours after the referees' union and league agreed on a tentative deal that will allow the regular officials to return beginning with Thursday night's Browns-Ravens game.

Goodell says: "Something like this, it's painful for everybody.

Most importantly, it's painful for fans. We're sorry to have to put

fans through that."

He added: "Sometimes you have to go through something like that

in the short term for the right agreement for the long term."

The deal was struck two days after Seattle's chaotic last-second

win over Green Bay in which the replacements missed a call.

(Copyright ©2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)