NFL put a referee on administrative leave for the incident with Bills DE Jerry Hughes

Jerry Hughes had to be separated from officials in the tunnel after the game.

Jerry Hughes was heated after the Buffalo Bills’ 21-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins and it was an official who drew his ire. A video from shortly after the game ended shows Hughes yelling at and threatening an official who he says called the Bills defensive end “a bitch.”

The official Hughes was talking to, Roy Ellison, was put on administrative leave on Tuesday night.

Here’s the video of Hughes confronting Ellison after the game in the tunnel to the locker room.

Hughes can be heard saying “You call me a bitch? I’ll catch you. Trust me, I’ll catch you, guaranteed.” As he walks off with a teammate, Hughes says “when I see him on the street, I’m going to knock him out.”

When reporters were later allowed in the locker room, Hughes had cooled down and said he didn’t remember getting into it with an official:

It’s hard to imagine why an official would say that to a player. The Bills were penalized 13 times Sunday for 120 yards so they had plenty of chances to interact with the refs.

The question now is whether or not Hughes will face any punishment from the league. If the official instigated the incident, the NFL might ease up on the punishment. Still, going after an official postgame is certainly something that’s frowned upon, but the circumstances may be a little different since the league’s decision to put Ellison on leave lends credence to Hughes’ accusation.

The NFL Referees Association issued a statement of support for Ellison, saying they believe he’ll be cleared.

This isn’t Ellison’s first time in trouble with the league either. He was suspended in 2013 for a game because he, you guessed it, used “profane and derogatory” language to Washington offensive lineman Trent Williams.

Update 12/14/18: Ellison ended up being fined one game check for $9,300 and is now reinstated.