NEW YORK — The NFL on Monday suspended a line judge two games for swearing at Arizona tight end Trey McBride.
Jeff Seeman was caught on camera cursing at McBride during the Cardinals' loss at the New York Giants on Sunday.
“Obviously, you hate to see it, for obvious reasons,” Arizona coach Mike LaFleur said. “I do want to give the man a little bit of grace, too. I know Jeff. He’s a good man. It’s unfortunate it happened. It can’t happen, obviously, and I’ll leave it at that.”
The incident drew the ire of union leader JC Tretter, a retired offensive lineman who played eight seasons.
“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.”
The interaction took place with just under five minutes left after officials did not call a pass interference or illegal contact penalty on New York’s Dru Phillips, who made contact with McBride before the ball arrived from Jacoby Brissett on a third-and-2 play.
Arizona punted and the Giants went on to win 36-24 after Deonte Banks intercepted Brissett's pass and ran it back for a pick-6 as time expired.
Referee Adrian Hill was also suspended one game 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.”
The league's vice president of officiating, Ramon George, issued the suspensions. The NFL Referees Association did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
This isn’t the first time an official has been punished for 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 by 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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Maaddi reported from Tampa, Florida. AP Pro Football Writers Dave Campbell in Eagan, Minnesota, and Josh Dubow in San Francisco, and AP Sports Writer David Brandt in Tempe, Arizona, contributed to this report.
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