Two NFL officials whose behavior toward players drew attention Sunday have been sidelined by the league.
The NFL announced Monday that it has suspended linesman Jeff Seeman for two games and referee Adrian Hill for one after contentious interactions with players during various games during Week 4.
The suspensions were handed down by NFL Vice President of Officiating Ramon George, and each was issued due to an “instance of unprofessional conduct toward a player,” the league said.
The NFL Referees Association called the suspensions “excessive and inconsistent with past precedent” and said the union would “challenge the seriousness of these suspensions.” He said he plans to meet with NFL Players’ Association leaders to discuss on-field conduct “and the increasing levels of confrontation between players and officials.”
“We will uphold the principle that discipline must be fair, consistent and proportionate,” Scott Green, executive director of the NFLRA, said in a statement Monday. “Holding officials accountable while ignoring or minimizing the conduct directed at them is neither fair nor an effective way to resolve this issue. We look forward to working with the League and NFLPA to achieve this shared goal.”
Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride was leaving the field during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against the New York Giants when a sideline camera showed Seeman appearing to use profanity toward him.
JC Tretter, executive director of the NFL Players’ Association, called the play “unacceptable” Sunday on X. “Players are routinely held accountable when the roles are reversed. We expect the NFL to hold officials to the same standards.”
In the Minnesota Vikings’ win over the Miami Dolphins, Hill was brought down when a first-quarter play was whistled, but Miami running back Ollie Gordon continued to block Minnesota’s Eric Wilson into Hill. Hill stood up and yelled at Wilson.
After the game, Wilson told reporters that he and Hill talked about the trade.
“I ended up apologizing to him and explaining the situation,” Wilson said. “He was cool about it. He understood what was going on. He just said he didn’t want us to argue.”
Seeman has been an NFL official since 2002, while Hill started in 2010.
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