Washington Redskins offensive tackle Trent Williams accused NFL umpire Roy Ellison of swearing at him during Sunday's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
It's not the first time Ellison's name has come up in connection with alleged abusive on-field behavior.
Fox Sports analyst Mike Pereira revealed Monday on "Fox Football Daily" that he once spoke with Ellison in connection with a similar incident when Pereira was the NFL's vice president of officiating.
"Years ago, he allegedly shouted and swore at players, and it was a big issue that I had to deal with," Pereira said of Ellison, the NFL's only full-time umpire. "I actually had to talk to him in the office to make sure that none of this is going on."
"So the fact that this happened twice now with the same individual has to really concern the league. And I know that they're taking a strong look at this."
Pereira said Ellison wasn't disciplined in connection with the first incident because the league had no audio evidence to confirm the claims. Pereira speculated that Sunday's situation could be different because linemen now have microphones in their jerseys.
"They (the NFL) know about the past circumstance, they are aware of that," he said. "And if they in fact can prove this audio, then I think a suspension is probably likely."
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday on NFL Network's "Around the League Live" that NFL security is looking into the claims and are in the process of gathering facts. If league security does track down audio proof, consider it very bad news for Ellison.
*We recapped every Week 11 game on the latest "Around The League Podcast." *
