NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL on Monday suspended a line judge two games for swearing at Arizona tight end Trey McBride.
Line judge Jeff Seeman was caught on camera cursing at McBride during the Cardinals’ loss at the New York Giants on Sunday. The incident drew the ire of union leader JC Tretter, a retired offensive lineman who played eight seasons.
“This kind of behavior from an official towards a player is unacceptable,” Tretter, the NFL Players Association’s executive director, said on social media along with a video 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 interaction took place with just under five minutes left after officials did not call a pass interference or illegal contact penalty on New York’s Dru Phillips, who made contact with McBride before the ball arrived from Jacoby Brissett on a third-and-2 play.
Arizona punted and the Giants went on to win 36-24 after Deonte Banks intercepted Brissett’s pass and ran it back for a pick-6 as time expired.
Referee Adrian Hill was also suspended for unprofessional conduct in the Miami-Minnesota game. Hill yelled at Eric Wilson and pointed for him to get away after the Vikings linebacker tried to help him to his feet after a collision knocked him over.
“I just think it’s one of those situations in kind of a high-energy moment there," Minnesota coach Kevin O'Connell said Monday. "I think stuff like that can happen sometimes, but I don’t have any major concerns, and I think Adrian’s a really good official and does a really good job. I think that was just kind of fast moment that happened, and we can put it behind us, hopefully.”
The league's vice president of officiating, Ramon George, issued the suspensions.
This isn’t the first time an official has been punished for his interactions with a player on the field.
Umpire Roy Ellison was punished twice for his behavior. In 2018, he was fined $9,300 and placed on administrative leave for one game after he was accused of calling Buffalo defensive end Jerry Hughes by a derogatory term.
Ellison was also suspended for one game in 2013 for making “a profane and derogatory statement” to Washington left tackle Trent Williams.
Maaddi reported from Tampa, Florida.
AP Pro Football Writers Dave Campbell in Eagan, Minnesota, and Josh Dubow in San Francisco contributed to this report.
See AP’s full NFL coverage here
FILE - Line judge Jeff Seeman (45) works during an NFL preseason football game between the New Orleans Saints and the Jacksonville Jaguars in New Orleans, Aug. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman, File)
Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride pauses on the field during an NFL football game against the New York Giants, in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A former music pastor in Ohio who appeared briefly on “American Idol” was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Monday after a jury convicted him of murdering his wife while he was having an affair.
Prosecutors said Caleb Flynn, 40, staged a home invasion in February after shooting Ashley Flynn, a 37-year-old schoolteacher and volleyball coach, then claimed she was killed by a burglar.
In his 2013 appearance on “American Idol,” Flynn told TV viewers about how his wife had encouraged him to chase his dreams on the singing competition. He did not advance to the main competition in Hollywood.
With tears rolling down his cheeks, Flynn apologized in court to his family, starting with his two daughters.
“I made vows to Ashley on our wedding day. I failed in those vows,” he said.
Although he admitted he lied about many things, Flynn remained adamant that he was innocent.
“As I stand here before God, who is my ultimate judge, I am not lying when I say I did not kill my wife,” he said.
Miami County Common Pleas Judge Jeannine Pratt said she was deeply disturbed that Flynn used his faith to hide his “deceit” and “lust.”
She quoted a victim statement from one of the daughters, read aloud moments earlier by a family member, asking: “What did Ashley ever do to make you hate her so much?”
During closing arguments, prosecutors told jurors that Flynn wanted out of his marriage when he shot his wife at their house in Tipp City, a suburb north of Dayton. The couple’s two daughters were home with their father when police arrived.
He sent a text message to his lover the night before the shooting, saying, “I choose you. I’m free. Actions will come tomorrow,” prosecutors said.
During the trial, Alleigha Botner testified she met Flynn in 2022 while she was a 20-year-old intern at his church and had an affair with him for more than a year. She told jurors that Flynn said he hated his wife and had thoughts of killing her.
Jurors also heard AI-generated love songs that prosecutors said he made for Botner. Flynn didn’t testify on his own behalf, nor did anybody else.
The gun used to kill Ashley Flynn was not found at the scene, and his attorney told jurors that investigators found no evidence that Caleb Flynn fired a gun that day. Prosecutors said his fingerprints and DNA were at the scene and that his devices showed him moving around the house, even though he claimed he was asleep at the time of the shooting.
The jury found him guilty of murder, felonious assault and tampering with evidence.
This image taken from pool court video shows 40-year-old Caleb Flynn listening to the judge reading out the jury's verdict at the Miami County Court of Common Pleas on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in Troy, Ohio. (Pool via AP)
Caleb Flynn listens to court proceedings inside the Miami County Court of Common Pleas on Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, in Troy, Ohio. (AP Photo, Pool)
