NFL refs head: Beckham situation should have been handled differently

“I don’t know why they did what they did, but I wish it had been handled different," said Jim Quirk, executive director of the NFL Referees Association.

Executive director of the NFL Referees Association said he wishes the officiating crew in Monday’s game between the Carolina Panthers and the New York Giants would have handled the controversial situation between Odell Beckham Jr. and Josh Norman differently.

“I don’t want to second-guess the guys that worked the game, but I thought they should have been a lot more judicious in their attempts to get this thing under control,” Jim Quirk told USA TODAY Sports. “I don’t know why they did what they did, but I wish it had been handled different.”

Beckham and Norman were involved in numerous physical altercations during the game. The situation came to a boil with Beckham’s helmet-to-helmet hit on Norman in the third quarter.

Beckham was suspended for one game for his actions, and Norman was fined $26,044. Beckham appealed his suspension, but it was upheld.

• FARRAR: NFL dealing with a bigger public relations problem

NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino told NFL Total Access on Tuesday that Beckham should have been ejected from the game. Blandino said that Terry McAulay’s officiating crew failed to capitalize on several early opportunities to call fouls and prevent the situation from spiraling out control.

“Realistically, they can do whatever they want to do, in terms of punishment,” Quirk said. “They’d have to justify why they're doing what they're doing. We can complain, but the CBA basically gives them the right to exercise punishment however they see fit. I do have some problems with some of the things they’ve done this year, but that will be addressed between Dean and myself at a later date.”

The officials will not face suspension for their handling of the situation and will call Sunday’s game between the Packers and the Cardinals.

- Xandria James