NFL official Roy Ellison has been suspended for one game for making a "profane and derogatory" statement to Washington Redskins offensive tackle Trent Williams.
The former first-round Draft pick claimed that the referee had called him a "garbage-ass, disrespectful motherfucker" during the team's 24-16 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles last weekend.
In a statement, the league said: "NFL game officials are expected to avoid personal confrontations with players and be respectful of players and coaches at all times.
"The NFL-NFLRA Collective Bargaining Agreement states that 'at no time will a Game Official engage in any conduct which adversely affects or reflects on the NFL or which results in the impairment of public confidence in the honest and orderly conduct of League games or the integrity or good character of its Game Officials'."
The Referees Association has confirmed that it plans to challenge the suspension, describing the move as "a rush to judgment".
