‘Confidential’- Sean McVay sparks NFL reminder after revealing referee talks

Sean McVay has sparked a fresh NFL reminder about officiating discussions after revealing details of a conversation with league officials over a controversial pass interference call.

The NFL has since sent a memo to teams reminding coaches and personnel that conversations with the officiating department are confidential and cannot be discussed publicly.

The reminder comes after a disputed fourth-quarter DPI call against Rams defensive back Josh Wallace during Los Angeles’ loss to Denver. Broncos receiver Pat Bryant later admitted he had sold the contact in an effort to draw the flag.

McVay had been asked about the decision following the game and revealed that the officials agreed with his assessment of the play.

“They agreed with me,” McVay told reporters earlier, adding “That’s correct,” when asked directly about the pass interference call.

He also explained that his main priority was getting useful feedback from the league rather than simply proving that the officials had made a mistake.

Here's the memo that went out to teams today, stemming from the officials' missed call at the end of Sunday night's Rams/Broncos game.

“What I appreciate is, is the goal is to just get good, consistent feedback. It doesn’t matter, though. I’ve told you, the only thing that matters to me is how to educate our players.”

The NFL’s memo now makes clear that those conversations are not supposed to be made public.

It states that the officiating department is encouraged to answer questions from coaches and club employees, but those discussions remain confidential and accountability measures can follow if that confidentiality is breached.

McVay insisted he was more interested in using the information to coach Wallace than in receiving vindication over the decision.

“Whether it was or wasn’t right, that wasn’t the point,” McVay said. “What I am interested in is if there’s any sort of feedback that says, ‘This is in alignment with what would be correctly officiated as a DPI. Here’s the coaching points that you want your DBs or your backend guys to be able to have.’ That’s the only thing that I’m really worried about. That game’s over with. We’re a 1-2 football team and got to be able to move forward, and that’s where we’re at.”

The Rams now turn their attention to Philadelphia, with McVay looking to end a four-game losing streak against the Eagles.

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