NFL ref union: Bills DE Jerry Hughes verbally threatened official placed on leave
The spat between Buffalo Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes and NFL official Roy Ellison was ugly.
Hughes yelled at Ellison after last week’s game, and claimed Ellison called him a “bitch.” Ellison was placed on administrative leave.
The union for NFL officials defended Ellison on Wednesday. Scott Green, the NFL Referees Association executive director, said Hughes was the one who verbally threatened Ellison.
NFLRA expects Roy Ellison will be cleared
The NFLRA said it expects Ellison to be cleared, and video showed Hughes verbally threatening Ellison. It also says Hughes has a “well-documented history of abusive language and inappropriate actions towards our officials.”
Here is the full statement:
“We fully expect the NFL’s review to clear Roy Ellison,” Green said in the statement. “Video from last week’s game shows he was verbally threatened by a player who has a well-documented history of abusive language and inappropriate actions towards our officials. While we are disappointed that the NFL has yet to address that aspect of the incident, we look forward to working with the League during its review and will ensure that Roy’s rights are protected during this process.”
ESPN reported the NFL has already announced it won’t suspend Hughes for yelling at Ellison after the game.
Ellison was suspended before
The NFLRA might have talked about Hughes’ history as a reaction to Ellison having his own history brought up again. Ellison was suspended a game in 2013 for “a profane and derogatory statement” to Washington Redskins tackle Trent Williams.
The entire incident isn’t a good look for anyone. Ellison shouldn’t be saying what he did to Hughes, if that’s what he said, and Hughes shouldn’t be yelling at him in the tunnel either. The NFL will have to sort it all out, and there won’t be any winners from it.
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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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