GLENDALE, ARIZONA — The National Football League announced Sunday it is reviewing video of an official who, according to multiple angles of game footage, appeared to tell Cardinals tight end Trey McBride “f— you, f— you” during the Giants game, and the league’s statement should reassure everyone: a review is underway, which means the league agrees the moment happened and would like a few days to think about it.

The exchange began, per CBS Sports’ account, when McBride voiced displeasure about a third-down incompletion he believed should have drawn pass interference. The referee’s response, caught cleanly on the broadcast, has been described by Yahoo Sports’ fan reaction roundup as “so unprofessional” and “insane.” McBride’s own reaction — laughing as he realized the camera had caught it — is the most honest postgame press conference of the season.

Let’s be clear about what the tape shows. A man in stripes, on the job, in front of 60,000 people and four national cameras, said the first thing that came into his head. Every fan in America has said that exact sentence to a referee. The referee simply had the courage to say it back, to the player, at the correct volume, with proper diction.

"We ask officials to be human and then punish them for being one. He gave us the most authentic instant replay in NFL history: the human being inside the stripes. The league reviewing it is like reviewing a touchdown for being a touchdown." — Coach Danny Sutter, Definitely Real offensive line coach, who has yelled at officials from folding chairs for thirty-one years

THE TIRADE: OFFICIAL MEASUREMENTS

  • Two repetitions of a four-word phrase, delivered with the rhythm of a cadence, which suggests training.
  • Volume: picked up by field microphones over crowd noise, a feat no quarterback has managed this season.
  • Target: a tight end who had just argued a no-call, meaning the official was, procedurally, answering the question asked.
  • League response: a review, the NFL's official term for "we saw it, we're thinking about it, please stop posting the clip."

The NFL Players Association’s executive director has called for accountability, which is fair. The players want the official held to the standard every player lives under: every word, on camera, forever. The official, for once, met that standard first.

At press time, the league confirmed the review continues, and three replacement officials have already been filmed practicing their on-camera smiles, which look exactly like the smiles of men thinking about their reviews.