NFL line judge Jeff Seeman has been suspended for two games and referee Adrian Hill for one game after separate Week 4 clashes with players, the league confirmed on Monday (US time).
Both suspensions were handed down for “unprofessional conduct toward a player” by the NFL’s vice president of officiating, Ramon George, according to Bleacher Report, citing NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Hill will be able to return in Week 6, while Seeman will be sidelined until Week 7, Yahoo Sports reported.
Seeman and Trey McBride
Seeman’s suspension stems from Arizona’s 36-24 loss to the New York Giants. The Associated Press reported he was caught on camera cursing at Cardinals tight end Trey McBride with just under five minutes left.
The exchange came after officials did not call a pass interference or illegal contact penalty on Giants defender Dru Phillips, who made contact with McBride before Jacoby Brissett’s third-and-2 pass arrived. Arizona punted, and the Giants sealed the win when Deonte Banks returned an interception for a touchdown as time expired.
NFL Players Association executive director JC Tretter quickly called for action on social media.
“This kind of behavior from an official towards a player is unacceptable,” Tretter wrote. “Players are consistently held accountable when the roles are reversed. We expect the NFL to hold officials to the same standard.”
Hill and Eric Wilson
Hill’s ban relates to Minnesota’s 15-10 win over the Miami Dolphins at U.S. Bank Stadium. As ESPN detailed, the play had been whistled dead in the first quarter when Dolphins running back Ollie Gordon kept blocking Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson, pushing Wilson into Hill and knocking the referee to the ground.
Hill got straight back up and appeared to yell at Wilson, who had reached out to help him up. No flag was thrown.
Wilson played the incident down after the game.
“That was funny, honestly,” Wilson told reporters, as quoted by ESPN. “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.”
Why it matters
Both decisions came a day after the games. That means Seeman misses Weeks 5 and 6, while Hill, who leads his own officiating crew as referee, sits out Week 5.
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