Veteran Minnesota Vikings WR Adam Thielen drew headlines on Friday for his comments on the NFL’s officiating problem. After being called for a crucial penalty in a key situation in the Vikings’ loss to the Ravens last week, Thielen was hot on the sideline, letting the refs know how he felt, as well as his coaches and teammates. Anyone who was within earshot, really.
“I think we need to have full-time referees,” Thielen said on KFAN’s The Power Trip Morning Show, when asked about the state of officiating in the NFL. “I think it’s ridiculous that — and no offense to these guys, I mean they obviously love their job, and they put a lot of time into it, I know they do. But we have these guys that are kind of ‘fanboys’ a little bit.”
“They love the fact that they get to go out there and get to shake hands with Patrick Mahomes, they get to hang out with these professional athletes. And then they go to their real job on Monday through Friday and they get to tell everyone how cool their side job is. I think that there should be full-time referees.”
“I mean, the NFL is [worth] billions and billions of dollars,” Thielen continued. “There’s so much money in the game, there’s so much betting on the game. These games means so much, not just to the people who are gambling, but what about the people that are putting in so much time and effort to try and go out and perform well and win games. And all the time the coaches put in — they deserve to have full-time referees. That’s my take on it. I think it’s very easy to do and I don’t know why it hasn’t been done.”
“Yeah, I think the reason why I was probably so fired up was because we’d talked about that exact play all week,” Thielen said on the penalty in question. “We actually practiced that exact look in practice. Like, ‘This is probably what we’ll get and this is what we want you to do.’”
“And so I had a pretty good idea of what the rule was: that if you’re on the line of scrimmage, or within a yard of the line of scrimmage, that you can actually hit ’em. That you can actually block them. And it’s not pass interference, because if it’s past one yard from the line of scrimmage, then it’s pass interference if you touch them. …And I think the shock of him not seeing me actually made it look worse than it really was. Because I didn’t really hit him that hard.”
Of course, Thielen wasn’t called for offensive pass interference. He was called for an illegal crack-back block, where an offensive player outside the tackle box blocks back towards their own end zone. This type of play was ruled a 15-yard penalty several years ago due to its high propensity for injury.
“I think the frustration with these refs — I think they sometimes just forget that we’re playing football,” Theielen said. “And yes, there’s rules, but I think they sometimes forget the feel of the game. Was that really malicious in intent? Did I hit him in the head? No.”
“So I think they just sometimes forget like, yes there’s a rulebook, you can’t crack back, you can’t do these things. But what does it look like in football, and how does it apply to a real, full-speed rep? And so that’s why I think I was so frustrated. I think some of what they were saying back to me made me a little more frustrated, I don’t think they really understood the rule. So, interesting play. Obviously I can’t do that, I apologized to the ref after the game. And he said he needed to get more clarification on the rule. So, all good.”
Thielen made sure to apologize to the official for his outburst after the game, but he notes in this interview that he wants referees to account for game flow and natural physicality more in their calls. An interesting approach, given how much more subjectivity would be involved in such a process.
The New Orleans Saints are finalizing preparations for the stretch of the 2025 season, with roster moves settling in and young players carving out their first real roles. But away from the practice field, one surprising off-field decision has drawn national attention.
As the franchise locks in its 53-man roster, focus should be squarely on football. Yet, the personal lives of rookies often become intertwined with the spotlight, especially when outside distractions collide with the demands of the NFL.
This week, a first-year Saint made a headline-grabbing decision unrelated to football. For him, staying in New Orleans’ long-term plans meant not only competing on the field, but also managing the pressures of celebrity attention off it.
That rookie is running back Audric Estimé, who recently secured a spot on the Saints’ 53-man roster after being elevated from the practice squad. Shortly after that milestone, he ended his relationship with a well-known social media celebrity, an online star with millions of followers and a massive global audience.
The influencer built her brand through music, lifestyle content and viral posts that turned her into one of the most recognizable young digital personalities. Her reach and visibility inevitably brought heightened scrutiny onto Estimé as he adjusted to life in the NFL and tried to solidify his role in New Orleans.
The rookie explained his choice candidly in a private conversation that has since circulated among team circles:
“Right now, I need to focus on building my career with the Saints. There were too many cameras, too many eyes on my life off the field. I need peace, I need focus – if not, I will lose my chance and get left behind in New Orleans.”
Fans immediately reacted across X and Instagram, some applauding Estimé for putting football first, others sympathizing with his former girlfriend and questioning the pressure placed on young players to sacrifice their personal lives. The split fueled debate over the challenges rookies face in balancing relationships with the ruthless demands of professional sports.
For Audric Estimé, cracking the 53-man roster is only the beginning. By cutting ties with distractions and the glare of social media celebrity culture, the rookie signaled that his priority is clear: proving himself in the Saints’ backfield and earning trust in New Orleans for years to come.