NFL Puts Referee Who Allegedly Called Bills DE Jerry Hughes A "Bitch" On Administrative Leave

In keeping with the recent trend of only reviewing problems that that have been caught on video, the league has decided to place referee Roy Ellison on administrative leave while reviewing an incident between the official and Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes, according to Ian Rapoport.

Hughes confronted Ellison after Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins and accused the ref of calling him a “bitch.” Team personnel eventually intervened in the situation, but not before the player said, “I’ll catch you” before being escorted to the locker room. Hughes later claimed that he had no memory of the incident.

This isn’t the first time that Ellison’s name has been brought up in connection to accusations of foul language towards a player. Back in 2013, the official was suspended for “profane and derogatory” comments towards Washington lineman Trent Williams during a game against the Eagles. Williams claimed he was called a “garbage ass” and “disrespectful motherfucker.” ProFootballTalk said that Ellison had been previously warned about his language towards players even before that incident.

The NFL broke new ground this year with its first midseason firing of an official in the Super Bowl era back in October with Hugo Cruz because of his poor performance. While this current investigation is still ongoing, one has to imagine a ref on two-and-a-half strikes will likely find his employment in a precarious position.