NEW YORK– The NFL suspended a linesman for two games Monday for swearing at Arizona tight end Trey McBride.
Linesman Jeff Seeman was caught on video insulting McBride during the Cardinals’ loss to the New York Giants on Sunday. The incident angered union leader JC Tretter, a retired offensive lineman who played eight seasons.
“This type of behavior by an official toward a player is unacceptable,” Tretter, executive director of the NFL Players Association, said on social media, accompanied by a video clip of the incident. “Players are routinely held accountable when the roles are reversed. We expect the NFL to hold officials to the same standards.”
The interaction occurred with just under five minutes remaining after officials failed to call a pass interference or illegal contact penalty on New York’s Dru Phillips, who made contact with McBride before Jacoby Brissett’s ball arrived on a third-and-2 play.
Arizona punted and the Giants won 36-24 after Deonte Banks intercepted Brissett’s pass and returned it for a pick-6 as time expired.
Referee Adrian Hill was also suspended for unprofessional conduct during the Miami-Minnesota game. Hill yelled at Eric Wilson and waved him off after the Vikings linebacker tried to help him up after a collision knocked him down.
“I just think it’s one of those situations where there’s kind of a high-energy moment,” Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell said Monday. “I think things like that can happen sometimes, but I don’t have any major concerns, and I think Adrian is a very good official and does a very good job. I think it’s just a pretty quick moment that happened, and we can put it behind us, hopefully.”
The league’s vice president of officiating, Ramon George, issued the suspensions.
This is not the first time an official has been punished for interactions with a player on the field.
Referee Roy Ellison was punished twice for his behavior. In 2018, he was fined $9,300 and placed on administrative leave for one game after being 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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Maaddi reported from Tampa, Florida.
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AP Pro Football writers Dave Campbell in Eagan, Minn., and Josh Dubow in San Francisco contributed to this report.
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See the AP’s full NFL coverage here
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