NFL Suspends Officials Jeff Seeman, Adrian Hill After Week 4 Outbursts

The NFL has suspended two of its own officials after a Week 4 weekend full of heated on-field moments. Line judge Jeff Seeman was suspended for two games and referee Adrian Hill for one game for instances of unprofessional conduct toward a player, with the suspensions issued Monday, Oct. 5, by NFL vice president of officiating Ramon George, ESPN and The Associated Press reported.

Seeman and Trey McBride

Seeman’s suspension stems from an exchange with Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride during Sunday’s 36-24 loss to the New York Giants. According to ESPN, McBride believed he had been interfered with by Giants cornerback Dru Phillips on a third-and-8 pass from quarterback Jacoby Brissett that fell incomplete. When McBride complained, Seeman appeared to yell a profanity at him, video of the incident shows. The AP reported that McBride pointed toward the camera that caught the line judge’s words, and the clip spread quickly across social media.

Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur struck a measured tone on Monday. “I know Jeff. He’s a good man. It’s unfortunate it happened,” LaFleur said, adding that he wanted to give the official “a little bit of grace.”

The incident also drew a response from the players’ union. NFL Players Association executive director JC Tretter posted on X: “This kind of behavior from an official towards a player is unacceptable.” Tretter went on to say that players are held accountable when the roles are reversed and that the union expects the league to hold officials to the same standard.

Hill and Eric Wilson

Hill’s one-game suspension relates to a moment in the Minnesota Vikings’ 15-10 win over the visiting Miami Dolphins. Midway through the first quarter, after a play was whistled dead because of a Minnesota penalty, Dolphins running back Ollie Gordon II drove Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson into Hill, knocking the referee down, ESPN reported. As Wilson tried to help him up, Hill jumped up while pointing and yelling at Wilson to get away.

Wilson said he did not take it personally. “That was funny, honestly,” he told reporters, according to ESPN. “I ended up apologizing to him and explained the situation. He was cool about it.” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell also defended the referee. “I think Adrian’s a really good official and does a really good job,” O’Connell said.

A weekend of flare-ups

The suspensions capped what the AP described as a wild Week 4 marked by profane flare-ups. On Thursday night, cameras caught Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and head coach Mike McCarthy swearing at each other during the team’s 27-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns. McCarthy later expressed regret, saying, “any negative communication on my part, I wish I wouldn’t use those words.” On Sunday, San Francisco linebacker Dre Greenlaw repeatedly pointed and hollered at Denver coach Sean Payton during the 49ers’ 24-14 win over the Broncos, his former team, the AP reported.

Heated exchanges between players and officials are nothing new, the AP noted, but these moments stood out because they were caught on camera and raced across social media. The league announced the suspensions on Monday, a day after the Sunday games: two games for Seeman and one for Hill. For more game-day news and reaction, visit our Sports page.

Verification: Details of the suspensions, the McBride and Wilson incidents and the coaches’ and players’ comments come from ESPN (Josh Weinfuss, Oct. 5) and The Associated Press (Arnie Stapleton, Oct. 6), with the suspension lengths also reported by BBC Sport.