Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was caught on a hot mic cursing at an NFL official after being penalized for holding during Thursday night's game in Arizona.
It happened with 11:43 remaining in the fourth quarter as the Seahawks led 17-6. The Seahawks had 1st and 10 on the Cardinals 7-yard line. Running back Zach Charbonnet took the ball and ran to the right, reaching the end zone for what would have been a Seahawks touchdown that could have likely put the game away. However, on the play Smith-Njigba grabbed Cardinals cornerback Max Melton and took him down to the ground, making it easier to Charbonnet to score.
Smith-Njigba was called for a 10-yard holding penalty, and he disagreed with the call, even though it was pretty obvious based on the replay. As referee Alex Kemp announced the call to the crowd, he was interrupted by JSN saying "That's some bulls***!" which was caught on his microphone for everyone to hear.
Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit react to Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba voicing his displeasure to a ref (who didn't appreciate that).
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 26, 2025
"Just a misdemeanor this time."🏈🎙️🦓🤬 #NFL #TNF pic.twitter.com/NzO8DXtQdj
Kemp paused and gave Smith-Njigba a look, then continued with the penalty call. He could have given JSN an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty right on the spot, but he held off doing so. It's not a good luck when NFL players verbally abuse officials, although NFL officials seem to give the players a bit more leeway with expressing their frustrations than officials in other sports.
JSN finished the night leading the Seahawks in receiving with 4 catches for 79 yards, including a 22-yard catch on the game-winning drive as Jason Myers kicked a 52-yard field goal as time expired to give the Seahawks a 23-20 victory.
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports).
