Sometimes it’s a defender that blows it, and sometimes it’s a player on offense. There are even times when an NFL coach will say or do something really dumb that makes news. But when a referee does something ridiculous, well, we kind of have to pay extra attention.
Meet Adrian Hill.
First we noticed him on Sunday, he was on the ground after getting run over by players during the Minnesota Vikings game against the Miami Dolphins.
And he was evidently really peeved about it.
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Hill and the play that drew attention to him are being reviewed by the NFL on Monday, a league official confirmed to OutKick.
The reason for the review is that Hill seemed to either:
- Control his temper in a difficult situation and declined to throw a flag on a Vikings player that ran him over – which could have been a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Or …
- Hill blew his top after getting trucked by Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson, and jumped to his feet shouting something or other to Wilson, as he demanded the player get back to the huddle.
Minnesota Vikings player Eric Wilson #55 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Fla., on Sept. 27, 2026. (Marty Jean-Louis/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect)
Hill did all this without realizing one key detail:
Wilson was actually pushed into the official from behind by a Miami Dolphins player.
And Wilson merely tried to help Hill get up afterward, as the ref was aggressively pointing at him to get away.
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell talks with officials after the final play of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Hill, you should know, is no rookie official. He’s been in the NFL since 2010 and has been a referee since 2019. But despite that experience, he seemed to lose his composure after getting knocked down.
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The play happened in a regionally telecast game. But it drew national attention because of the NFL’s review and the terrible optics of the moment online.
And since it was online, fans decided to have an opinion about it.
This is the part where you realize that fans having opinions does not include NFL referee fans. Because there are no known such beings on the planet.
We’re talking fans of the Vikings, of Wilson, even of poise amid adversity. Hill and his officiating colleagues have no fans. So, the reactions online were predictable.
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Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce and pass game coordinator Scott Turner stand during the first half against the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nev., on Aug. 23, 2024. (USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con)
One NFL reporter posted that Hill “flipped out” over an “unintentional collision.”
“Officials have a hard job but their arrogance and opinions of themselves just make them so unlikable,” former New York Jets offensive coordinator Scott Turner added.
“Very sad,” NFL agent Peter Shaffer posted. “Would never see an NHL referee act like this. Pathetic.”
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Sunday was a bad day for NFL officials and the attention they drew.
In New York, the former son of the league’s supervisor of officials was captured on television apparently cursing at Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride.
The league is looking into that one also but there seems to be a theme in these two incidents.
It’s men that are sometimes called zebras because of the stripes they wear acting like they’re out in the wild.
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