Jerry Hughes Fined: Bills DE Reprimanded for Postgame Incident with Referee

Buffalo Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes was fined $53,482 by the NFL for unsportsmanlike conduct as a result of an incident in which he yelled at and threatened referee Roy Ellison after last Sunday's loss to the Miami Dolphins.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the league placed Ellison on administrative leave while it continues to look into the incident. Hughes is not expected to be suspended, a source confirmed to Schefter.

On Wednesday, NFL Referees Association executive director Scott Green said that he expected Ellison to be cleared.

"Video from last week's game shows [Ellison] was verbally threatened by a player who has a well-documented history of abusive language and inappropriate actions towards our officials," Green said in a statement. "While we are disappointed that the NFL has yet to address that aspect of the incident, we look forward to working with the League during its review and will ensure that Roy's rights are protected during this process."

Hughes yelled at Ellison in the tunnel and accused the referee of calling him a "b****" in a video shared by Jon Scott of Spectrum News Buffalo via Twitter on Sunday. The defensive end also shouted "I'll catch you" while being restrained by a Bills staff member and a teammate.

Hughes denied the confrontation during his postgame media sessions in the Bills' locker room after the incident took place. He claimed that he did "not recall" whether the referee called him a "b****."

"Who did? I did what?" Hughes said. "What did I say? If I did go up to the official, what did I say?"

When Scott told Hughes that he had video evidence of the incident, the veteran lineman said "I would love to see the video" repeatedly.

The ninth-year player also denied that the officiating provided Miami with an unfair advantage after the loss.

"[It was] fair," he said. "We had our opportunities to make plays and the ball just rolled in their favor."

Ellison is in his 16th season as an NFL official. He was previously suspended one game without pay in 2013 for an alleged incident in which Washington Redskins offensive lineman Trent Williams accused him of making a profane and derogatory statement to him.

Williams claimed that Ellison cussed him out during a Redskins drive late in the first half of the team's game against the Philadelphia Eagles, an accusation that was backed by teammates. According to the lineman, Ellison walked by him after a play and referred to him as a "garbage-ass, disrespectful m*****f*****."