Cardinals OL Will Hernandez ejected for contact with official while defending teammate vs. Panthers

A tussle broke out between the Panthers and Cardinals on Sunday, ultimately leading to the ejection of Arizona lineman Will Hernandez after he made contact with an official.

The incident started at the end of a run by Cardinals running back James Conner in the third quarter of Arizona's 26-16 win. Panthers linebacker Frankie Luvu picked Conner up and slammed him to the turf after officials had blown the play dead. Hernandez and fellow Cardinals lineman Kelvin Beachum then rushed to confront Luvu after the post-play contact.

Multiple flags were thrown. Luvu got flagged for unnecessary roughness on the play. But Hernandez was ejected. Another angle shows that Hernandez bumped into referee John Hussey on his way to confront Luvu.

That was enough to end his day. Officials disqualified Hernandez for the contact with Hussey.

Hernandez clearly wasn't targeting Hussey and made minimal contact during a heated moment. Officials in this instance saw no need for gray area and ejected him by the letter of the law. Players are not allowed to make contact with officials.

Now Hernandez waits to find out if the NFL will punish him further.