The NFL is looking into the circumstances of an official swearing at Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride during the team’s loss to the New York Giants on Sunday, league spokesperson Brian McCarthy told the Associated Press.
Incident caught on camera
Line judge Jeff Seeman was caught on camera cursing at McBride, who appeared to laugh when he realized a camera had caught the incident. The interaction drew the ire of NFL Players Association executive director JC Tretter, a retired offensive lineman who played eight seasons in the league.
Union calls behavior unacceptable
“This kind of behavior from an official towards a player is unacceptable,” Tretter said in a social media post which included a clip of the incident. “Players are consistently held accountable when the roles are reversed. We expect the NFL to hold officials to the same standard.”
The NFL Referees Association did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
Game context
The incident took place with just under five minutes left after officials did not call a penalty on New York’s Dru Phillips on a crucial third down, which the Cardinals did not convert. McBride questioned the call and Seeman appeared to respond to his appeal by saying “fuck you”. Arizona punted and the Giants went on to win the game 36-24. McBride did not address the incident in his postgame comments.
