There is growing anger around the NFL following the refereeing controversies that have plagued the opening weeks of the 2026 season, with two officials suspended after their conduct on Sunday
Jeff Seeman has been suspended for two games by the NFL
Jeff Seeman has been suspended for two games by the NFL(Image: X @JCTretter)
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Anger is growing across the NFL over refereeing standards, with two officials suspended on Monday following Sunday's Week 4 action.
On Monday, the NFL announced the suspensions of line judge Jeff Seeman and referee Adrian Hill for instances of unprofessional conduct toward a player. Seeman was caught on camera confronting Trey McBride, with the former allegedly swearing at the tight end during the Arizona Cardinals' 36-24 loss to the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.
McBride believed he had been interfered with by Giants corner Dru Phillips on third down, with him getting hit and complaining to Seeman, who appeared to then swear at the former. The incident involving Hill saw him get knocked over accidentally by Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson after the latter was pushed into the official by Miami Dolphins running back Ollie Gordon II.
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Hill got up following the incident, pointing and shouting at Wilson to get away. "That was funny, honestly," Wilson said postgame following Minnesota's 15-10 win over Miami. "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 II]. He said he was just trying to break us up."
However, while Wilson laughed off the incident, the officiating drama on Sunday has sparked outrage across the NFL. Posting on X, NFL insider Jordan Schulz claimed he had spoken to "multiple coaches and executives around the league" who were frustrated and angry about the current level of officiating. "There is growing anger around the NFL over the current state of officiating," wrote Schulz, who added that he had been told by sources: "What happened Sunday was an embarrassment for football."
"'Some of these refs are making it about themselves," another source said, while a third added: "It’s b------- that there's no accountability."
"We are playing with dangerous waters with the way officiating is going right now," said another.
Schulz continued: "The anger is not just related to the Trey McBride and Eric Wilson incidents that resulted in referee suspensions. The frustration is only amplified by the fact that coaches and executives know they can’t publicly say much without risking league backlash and potential fines."
Following the McBride-Seeman incident, NFLPA executive director JC Tretter took to social media to call out the latter, adding that if a player did that to an official, they would be held accountable for their actions. "This kind of behavior from an official towards a player is unacceptable," Tretter wrote. "Players are consistently held accountable when roles are reversed. We expect the NFL to hold officials to the same standard."
Sunday also saw New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel receive an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for telling an official: "That was a f------ terrible call."
"He was out of the box, came up to the official and said, 'That was a f—--- terrible call,'" lead referee Bill Vinovich told ESPN’s Mike Reiss in the pool report following New England's 29-26 win over the Buffalo Bills.
The heightened concerns over the NFL's officiating come just days after Sean McVay confirmed the league told him the referees had butchered a late pass interference call during Los Angeles' Week 3 defeat to the Denver Broncos. With over a minute remaining in the fourth with Los Angeles leading 26-23, Denver's Bo Nix found Pat Bryant on the sideline, with him being defended by Josh Wallace of the Rams.
There was contact on the play between the pair, with Wallace coming away with an interception, which looked to have sealed the win for Los Angeles, only for an official review to deem the Rams' corner had committed defensive pass interference. Moments later, Nix scored on a QB sneak to seal a comeback win for Denver. McVay confirmed last week that the NFL "agreed" with his assessment of the play and that the officials botched the call.