NFL suspends two referees for ‘unprofessional conduct’ toward players

Two NFL officials whose behavior toward players drew scrutiny Sunday have been sidelined by the league.

The NFL said Monday it has suspended line judge Jeff Seeman for two games and referee Adrian Hill for one after contentious interactions with players in different games during Week 4.

The suspensions were handed down by the NFL’s vice president of officiating, Ramon George, and each was issued because of “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 severity of those suspensions.” It said it planned to meet with leaders from the NFL Players Association to address on-field conduct “and the growing levels of confrontation between players and officials.”

“We will defend the principle that discipline must be fair, consistent and proportionate,” Scott Green, the NFLRA Executive Director, 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 address this issue. We look forward to working with the League and NFLPA toward that shared goal.”

Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride was coming off 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, the executive director of the NFL Players Association, singled out the play as “unacceptable” Sunday on X. “Players are consistently held accountable when the roles are reversed. We expect the NFL to hold officials to the same standard.”

During the Minnesota Vikings’ victory against the Miami Dolphins, Hill was knocked over when a first-quarter play was whistled dead 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 had spoken about the exchange.

“I ended up apologizing to him and explained the situation,” Wilson said. “He was cool about it. He understood what was going on. He just said he didn’t want us fighting.”

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Seeman has been an NFL official since 2002, while Hill started in 2010.