Commanders News: Emmanuel Forbes, Eric Bieniemy, Antonio Gibson and Josh Harris

Commanders DC blasts Emmanuel Forbes' rejection

It's been a few days since Emmanuel Forbes' controversial ejection at the Seattle Seahawks for a late hit on wide receiver Tyler Lockett. While the flag wasn't in question, removing the rookie cornerback entirely was perceived as improper punishment that didn't necessarily fit the crime.

This was a sentiment echoed in no uncertain terms by defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, who stated via Sports Illustrated that the whole situation is a terrible look for the NFL. Especially considering the decision didn't even come from the referees in charge at Lumen Field.

"The penalty I understood, it was deserving of a penalty. The ejection, for a first-time offense on play six - or whatever it was - of the game, that was shocking. And the fact that he wasn't ejected by the officials on the field, he was ejected by somebody sitting in an air-conditioned room in New York, and that's troubling. I think that's troubling for the league. They're going to have to work that out. But that's not a good look. I don't think that's healthy for the league to have those types of things happen. Emmanuel, young player - good player, he's not a guy that's like notoriously known for headhunting people and stuff like that. So I did not think it was warranted."

- Jack Del Rio via Sports Illustrated

Forbes will likely get a hefty fine when they are officially revealed on Saturday. The league tends to double down on calls like this rather than admit a mistake, which is a microcosm of the current predicament facing struggling officials with higher stakes involved.