The NFL Referees Association plans to challenge the suspensions handed to two officials on Monday.
The NFLRA considers the penalties “excessive and inconsistent with past precedent,” it said in a statement on Tuesday.
The association intends to contest the severity of the suspensions and meet with the NFL Officiating Department to discuss the league’s disciplinary standards.
It also plans to meet with NFL Players Association leadership to address on-field conduct and the growing level of confrontation between players and officials.
“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 it should not result in discipline that is excessive or inconsistent with established precedent,” said NFLRA executive director Scott Green.
The penalties were a two-game suspension for line judge Jeff Seeman, who cursed at Cardinals tight end Trey McBride during a game against the Giants, and a one-game suspension for referee Adrian Hill, who went off on Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson after an accidental collision.
The league stated that the incidents constituted an “instance of unprofessional conduct toward a player.”
“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,” Green added in defense of the officials involved.
The NFLRA and the NFL have been at odds several times over the past year.
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The referees’ association considered going on strike before the season began because the two sides were at an impasse in collective bargaining agreement negotiations.
The NFL eventually relented, agreeing to a seven-year extension that included a pay raise for referees.
