One Cardinals clip went more viral than the Giants‘ 35-14 win, and that was the line judge Jeff Seeman reportedly cursing at tight end Trey McBride. The moment McBride knew a camera had caught their exchange, he let out a laugh.
Social media did its job, and by Sunday night, the viral footage had already forced the league office into damage control.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, “The NFL says it is reviewing an official’s apparent use of profanity directed at Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride in Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.”
NFL Officials Looking into Trey McBride-Line Judge Altercation
NFL Players Association executive director JC Tretter, in a post to X on Sunday, called for the NFL to hold the official accountable.
“This kind of behavior from an official towards a player is unacceptable,” Tretter wrote. “Players are consistently held accountable when the roles are reversed. We expect the NFL to hold officials to the same standard.”
As for the NFL Referees Association, they are yet to respond to a message from the Athletic seeking comment.
The turning point came with under five minutes to play on a failed third-down conversion. After Phillips tangled up with McBride without drawing a whistle, the tight end pressed Seeman on the missed pass interference. Instead of pulling out a flag or warning the bench, Seeman dropped a verbal bomb caught clear as day on the broadcast. The Cardinals punted away their last real shot at a comeback, capping a 36-24 loss in a game where the officiating took center stage.
And according to one sideline reporter who was in earshot of both the player and the referee, the official’s comments were in response to some very benign protesting.
Sideline Reporter Reveals What Really Went Down
CBS Sports reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala was right by the sideline when McBride and line judge Seeman got into a heated verbal altercation. While the referee was seen using some foul language, Kinkhabwala revealed that McBride only pled his case with Seeman and told him that he was ruining the game.
“I was standing right there. What’s wild is that it all started with Trey McBride saying ‘please’ when pleading his case for a PI flag. He was heated for sure, but I never heard a curse from him. The harshest he got was, ‘You’re ruining the game.'”
If that is the worst Serman got from McBride, and he responded with cursing, that will attract some serious attention from the officials.
Cursing is rarely uncommon in heated Sunday Afternoon Showdowns, but generally they come from coaches or players. And they come with a massive fine or punishment for the momentary verbal outburst.
For an officiating line judge, though, it was rare.
If the rules are applied consistently, and similarly to Serman’s behavior, he will incur a fine or a punishment as well.
The officiating controversy will steal the headlines, but the bigger story is how Arizona let a Dart-less Giants team dictate the terms. That late non-call on third down robbed the Cardinals of a comeback attempt, but they only have themselves to blame for letting a backup-led squad push them to the brink in the first place.
Cardinals’ Trey McBride Gets Huge Update on Line Judge Cursing at Him During Giants Loss