The NFL has suspended a line judge two games for swearing at Arizona tight end Trey McBride.
Line judge Jeff Seeman was caught on camera cursing at McBride during the Cardinals’ loss at the New York Giants on Sunday. The incident drew the ire of union leader JC Tretter.
“This kind of behavior from an official towards a player is unacceptable,” Tretter, the NFL Players Association’s executive director, said on social media along with a video clip of the incident. “Players are consistently held accountable when the roles are reversed. We expect the NFL to hold officials to the same standard.”
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The incident took place with just under five minutes left after officials did not call a penalty on New York’s Dru Phillips on a crucial third down, which the Cardinals did not convert. McBride questioned the call and Seeman appeared to respond to his appeal by saying “fuck you”. Arizona punted and the Giants went on to win the game 36-24. McBride did not address the incident in his postgame comments.
Referee Adrian Hill was also suspended Monday for unprofessional conduct in the Miami-Minnesota game. Hill yelled at Eric Wilson and pointed for him to get away after the Vikings linebacker tried to help him to his feet after a collision knocked him over.
“I just think it’s one of those situations in kind of a high-energy moment there,” Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell said Monday. “I think stuff like that can happen sometimes, but I don’t have any major concerns, and I think Adrian’s a really good official and does a really good job. I think that was just kind of fast moment that happened, and we can put it behind us, hopefully.”
Wilson said he had no issues with Hill’s conduct. “That was funny, honestly,” Wilson told reporters after the game. “I ended up apologizing to him and explained the situation. He was cool about it. He understood what was going on.”
The league’s vice-president of officiating, Ramon George, issued the suspensions.
This isn’t the first time an official has been punished for his interactions with a player on the field.
Umpire Roy Ellison was punished twice for his behavior. In 2018, he was fined $9,300 and placed on administrative leave for one game after he was accused of calling Buffalo defensive end Jerry Hughes a derogatory term. Ellison was also suspended for one game in 2013 for making “a profane and derogatory statement” to Washington left tackle Trent Williams.
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