NFL Suspends Entire Officiating Crew After Ignoring Brutal Face Mask on RB Travis Homer by Redmond in Bears’ Thrilling Win
New York, November 18, 2025 — The NFL has issued one of its strongest disciplinary actions in years, suspending the entire officiating crew from Sunday night’s Bears–Vikings matchup. The decision came fewer than 24 hours after a viral clip showed a blatant missed facemask on Chicago RB Travis Homer.
The controversial moment occurred at 8:12 in the third quarter, on a 3rd-and-5 at Minnesota’s 18. RB Travis Homer took a handoff and surged forward, only to have DT
Harrison Redmond grab his facemask and yank it violently twice. Despite standing just two yards away, referee Tra Blake did not throw a flag.
FOX analyst Tom Brady reacted instantly, calling it “the clearest facemask of the year” and expressing disbelief that the officials missed it. The NFL Command Center later confirmed the play should have resulted in
15 yards and an automatic first down.
Instead, the Bears settled for a field goal, giving the Vikings enough momentum to rally and tie the game 17–17. Chicago survived only after Cairo Santos drilled a 48-yard field goal as time expired, sealing a 19–17 win.
On Monday morning, the NFL announced that all seven members of officiating crew #5 would be suspended for Weeks 12 and 13. This marks one of the few times in recent history the league has suspended an entire crew for performance failures.
Umpire Carl Paganelli received the harshest criticism internally, with the league citing a “perfect line of sight” that was inexplicably ignored. Referee Tra Blake will also lose roughly $15,000 from a forfeited game check.
Executive VP of Officiating Perry Fewell called the mistake “an unacceptable failure” and ordered the crew into emergency training focused on identifying “clear and obvious fouls.” This is the third reprimand
for Blake’s crew this season.
Social media exploded within minutes of the incident, with #RefsRobbedBears and #BearsTax trending No. 1 nationwide. A clip posted by Jordan Schultz quickly passed three million views, intensifying accusations that officials consistently work against Chicago.
Bears legend Mike Ditka blasted the officiating on 670 The Score, calling the missed facemask “a crime in broad daylight” and praising the NFL for what he described as “delayed justice.”
Head coach Ben Johnson echoed the outrage. He told reporters the mistake was “not just a miss call” but “a direct injustice to Travis and the entire team.” Johnson said the Bears will file a formal report but emphasized the team is now focused on Week 12 versus the Lions.
On the Vikings’ side, head coach Kevin O’Connell remained professional, saying only that the team respected the league’s decision. QB J.J. McCarthy was more blunt, posting on X: “Refs have to be better. This one hurts.”
The incident has reignited calls to make facemask penalties reviewable, similar to roughing the passer. Pro Football Reference data shows the Bears rank second in the NFL in missed penalties this season, adding fuel to the “Bears tax” narrative among fans.
Despite the controversy, Chicago moves to 6–4, continuing its resurgence under Ben Johnson. Their upcoming rivalry matchup against Green Bay now carries even more intensity — and Bears fans are hoping the officials will be
far less “blind” this time.
Jonathon Cooper Calls Out Chiefs Player After Broncos’ Victory
Getty
Jonathon Cooper #0 of the Denver Broncos on the field after defeating the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Denver Broncos got a hard-fought win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11, and there was certainly no love lost. Broncos outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper took issue with one play during the contest.
It involved Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt, whom Cooper mentioned by name during his gripe postgame.
He also thanked one of his teammates for exacting a modicum of revenge.
Broncos’ Jonathon Cooper Calls Out Chiefs’ Kareem Hunt
GettyKareem Hunt #29 of the Kansas City Chiefs in action against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The play occurred just before halftime, with Cooper and the Broncos looking to keep Hunt and the Chiefs off the board. On second-and-15, Patrick Mahomes dropped back to pass.
As Cooper rushed off the right, Hunt caught him flush in his (relatively) exposed rib cage.
“I took a cheap shot,” Cooper said after the Broncos’ win over the Chiefs, per The Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel. “Shoutout Justin Strnad, he had my back on that for real because he came back and gave Kareem Hunt somethin.”
Cooper “hobbled,” to quote CBS Sports’ Jim Nantz, to the Broncos’ sideline after the play.
Strnad brought Hunt down in a one-on-one situation early in the third quarter. There were no updates during or after the game.
So, Cooper may have avoided anything serious. But after so many players lost due to injury, Broncos Country must wait for an official update. Gabriel said that “Cooper left the locker room with training staff” after holding court with the media.
Cooper finished the game with 4 total tackles.
He did not have any sacks, but he and fellow OLB Nik Bonitto (0 sacks) certainly made their presence felt during the contest.
“Jonathon Cooper and Nik Bonitto draw holding penalties on back-to-back snaps,” Gabriel noted on X during the game. “#Broncos pass rush has made its presence felt throughout and is really heating up now.
His status could remain uncertain until Week 13.
That is when the Broncos will return from their bye to face the Washington Commanders, who lost to the Miami Dolphins in overtime in Week 11.
Jonathon Cooper Sets Tone for Broncos
GettyJonathon Cooper #0 of the Denver Broncos celebrates a sack against the Tennessee Titans.
Cooper and the Broncos emerged from this contest tied with the New England Patriots for the best record in the NFL at 9-2, and the former seventh-round pick (2021) expressed a fitting level of confidence.
“Who we scared of?” Cooper asked. “Ain’t gotta be scared of nobody. Keep it goin.”
Cooper said that the Broncos – who were missing starters in All-Pro cornerback Pat Surtain II and linebacker Alex Singleton – keep the same approach regardless of the circumstances.
“We’re not going to change our style; We’re not going to play down to our opponent, we’re not going to play with our opponent,” Cooper said. “We’re going to play our game. We know our game is tough. Our game is tough, physical, fast, violent. We play together and always next man up, man. We don’t care who’s going down, who’s out there, or whatever. The standard’s the standard. We keep that.”
Broncos Bolster Position Among NFL Elite
The Broncos have beaten the last two teams to win the Super Bowl in the Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles (Week 5). Their two losses this season have come against two of the better AFC teams in the Indianapolis Colts and their AFC West rivals, the Los Angeles Chargers.
Cooper and the Broncos will face the Chargers again in Week 18.
As it stands, the Broncos have a 2.0-game lead on the Chargers, who lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11. However, that contest could be critical for playoff seeding later on.
