Officiating union responds to Hill and Seeman suspensions

The NFL Referees Association has responded to the suspensions of referee Adrian Hill and line judge Jeff Seeman via a press release issued on Tuesday. Hill and Seeman were both suspended Monday by vice president of officiating Ramon George for two separate incidents involving conduct toward players.

The union described the suspensions as “excessive and inconsistent with past precedent” and stated their intention to challenge the severity of the suspensions. Prior to this past weekend, there had only been 8 reported suspensions imposed on officials in the league’s history.

The NFLRA also expressed interest in meeting with the NFL officiating department to discuss disciplinary standards as they relate to game officials as well as the leadership of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) address the “growing levels of confrontation between players and officials.” NFLPA executive director JC Tretter released a statement Sunday specifically against Seeman’s conduct.

Executive director Scott Green, who himself is a former NFL referee and back judge, issued this statement:

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.

Officials are routinely subjected to highly charged interactions and, at times, verbal abuse from players and coaches. While that never excuses misconduct by an official, it shouldn’t be dismissed as simply part of the game. The League expects the highest level of professionalism from its officials, and it should demand the same from everyone on the field.

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. We look forward to working with the League and NFLPA toward that shared goal.”

Additionally, the National Basketball Referees Association — the union for NBA for officials in the NBA, WNBA and NBA G League — backed the NFLRA’s call for proportionate and consistent discipline.