The NFL has suspended two officials for unprofessional conduct towards players after separate incidents during Week 4 games.
Line judge Jeff Seeman has been banned for two games after he was filmed shouting at Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride during Sunday’s loss to the New York Giants.
And referee Adrian Hill has also been suspended for one game after his furious reaction after being inadvertently knocked to the turf by Minnesota Vikings defender Eric Wilson in their win over the Miami Dolphins.
The NFL Players’ Association sought punishment for Seeman after footage showed him appearing to tell McBride ‘f*** you’ multiple times after he objected to a no-call on a pass in his direction.
NFLPA executive director, former Cleveland Browns offensive lineman JC Tretter wrote on X: ‘This kind of behavior from an official towards a player is unacceptable. Players are consistently held accountable when the roles are reversed. We expect the NFL to hold officials to the same standard.’
The NFL reviewed the incident, as well as the exchange between Wilson and Hill in the Vikings win.
NFL line judge Jeff Seeman (right) is seen cursing at Cardinals tight end Trey McBride
Adrian Hill also got in the face of Eric Wilson after he was inadvertently knocked over to the turf
Line judge Seeman (left) and referee Hill (right) will both sit out games as punishment
Dolphins running back Ollie Gordon was blocking Wilson after a play was blown dead, pushing him into the referee and knocking him down.
Hill got up and yelled in Wilson’s face, pointing him back to his huddle but refraining from throwing a flag.
‘That was funny, honestly,’ Wilson said. ‘I ended up apologizing to him and explained the situation. He was cool about it.
‘He understood what was going on. He just said he didn’t want us fighting, me and [Gordon]. He said he was just trying to break us up.’
NFL Vice President of Officiating Ramon George handed down the suspensions, which will mean neither takes to the field during Week 5.
CBS sideline reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala shared her view of the incident between McBride and Seeman, as the Cardinals tight end pleaded for a pass interference flag late in the game.
‘I was standing right there,’ Kinkhabwala said on Twitter. ‘What’s wild is that it all started with Trey McBride saying ‘please’ when pleading his case for a PI flag.
‘He was heated for sure, but I never heard a curse from him. The harshest he got was, ‘You’re ruining the game.’
Seeman has worked exclusively as a line judge in the league since 2002, officiating multiple playoff games including Super Bowl LI and Super Bowl XLIV.
Hill worked as a college football official before making it to the NFL in 2010, starting as a line judge before being promoted to referee for the 2019 season.
