Cardinals’ D.J. Humphries ejected after contact with referee

D. J. Humphries – refer to caption – CC BY-SA

Arizona Cardinals left tackle D.J. Humphries was ejected from Sunday’s Week 7 clash with the Seattle Seahawks. The game ended in Arizona’s 20-10 defeat.

The ejection followed an inadvertent contact with referee Brian Sakowski, which stemmed from a heated exchange between Humphries and Seahawks linebacker Jordyn Brooks during the second quarter.

The referee positioned himself between Humphries and Brooks in an attempt to de-escalate the confrontation. As Humphries tried to disengage Brooks, he missed his shove and ended up hitting Sakowski in the head.

The aftermath

Humphries expressed unawareness of the incident after the game, saying, “I didn’t see it.”

Although unintentional, any contact with an official is typically handled with zero tolerance in the NFL. Humphries was required to leave the game early to be replaced by backup offensive tackler Kevin Beachum. This allowed Beachum to step in as the left tackle, and the Cardinals managed to score a touchdown on the very next play.

Meanwhile, Brooks was reprimanded with a roughness penalty but was not ejected from the game despite his contact with Sakowski. Several observers have called out the unfair treatment, as Brooks was also found hitting Sakowski’s head on the replay video.

This includes Liam McKeone from The Big Lead, who said that the ejection was “ridiculous” and done “without any further investigation.”

Following the play and ensuing penalties, Arizona found themselves on the Seahawks’ 25-yard line with a first-and-goal situation. On the very next play, Joshua Dobbs ran for a 25-yard touchdown, giving Arizona a 10-7 lead with 9:11 left in the second quarter.

Mafe’s penalty

Another penalty on the game occurred with 9:18 remaining in the second quarter as Dobbs attempted a downfield pass intended for rookie receiver Michael Wilson in the end zone.

Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe made contact with Dobbs on his pass rush, and Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon intercepted the pass.

Following a ten-minute discussion, Mafe was penalized for unnecessary roughness during Dobbs’ pass rush.