NFL Referees Association challenges severity of two officials' suspensions

The NFL Referees Association announced it will challenge the severity of suspensions issued to line judge Jeff Seeman and referee Adrian Hill for unprofessional conduct in Week 4, according to ESPN reporting on October 6. Seeman was suspended for two games; Hill for one game.

Seeman was caught on camera swearing at Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride during the Cardinals' loss at the New York Giants, per ESPN. Hill yelled at Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson and pointed for him to get away after Wilson tried to help him to his feet following a collision that knocked the referee over, per ESPN.

NFLRA executive director Scott Green stated: "NFL officials have a responsibility to conduct themselves professionally on the field, and the actions in these incidents fell short of that standard. Accountability matters, but that should not result in discipline that is excessive or inconsistent with established precedent." Green added: "We will defend the principle that discipline must be fair, consistent and proportionate. Holding officials accountable while ignoring or minimizing the conduct directed at them is neither fair nor an effective way to address this issue."

The union said it would meet with the league's officiating department to discuss disciplinary standards and with players' union leadership to address on-field conduct and growing confrontations between players and officials, per ESPN. The NFL's league statement, included in the ESPN report, asserts that "NFL officials have a responsibility to conduct themselves professionally on the field, and the actions in these incidents fell short of that standard," implying the suspensions were warranted discipline for misconduct.