Arizona Cardinals left tackle D.J. Humphries was ejected from Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks after he smacked an official on the head.
The contact appeared to be inadvertent as the official stood between Humphries and Seahawks linebacker Jordyn Brooks during a scuffle. But contact with an official is generally a zero-tolerance situation in the NFL, and Humphries’ day was done.
The incident took place after Cardinals quarterback Joshua Dobbs threw an interception on a downfield pass intended for Michael Wilson in the end zone. But Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe made contact with Dobbs’ head on the pass rush, drawing a roughing-the-passer penalty that negated the turnover.
A scuffle then ensued near the line of scrimmage involving Brooks and Humphries. Brooks shoved Humphries in his facemask, and Humphries retaliated by reaching out to smack Mafe. Instead he sideswiped the official who was attempting to intervene.
Brooks also made contact with the official, but his arm was shoved into the official by Humphries. Brooks drew an unnecessary roughness penalty for his role in the scuffle, but wasn’t ejected. Humphries was flagged for contact with an official and kicked out.
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The ejection left Dobbs without his starting blind-side protection. Backup Kelvin Beachum took over for Humphries at left tackle with nearly three quarters remaining in the game. Seattle led, 7-3 at the time of the ejection. The Cardinals scored a touchdown on the next play on a 25-yard Dobbs scramble to take a 10-7 lead.
Daniel Miller is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. His coverage spans from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis for sports enthusiasts.
