NFL reminds coaches and personnel that referee conversations are confidential

The NFL has sent a memo to coaches and personnel reminding them that while referees are encouraged to respond to questions candidly, all conversations with officials are confidential and are not to be discussed publicly. The reminder, reported by NFL Network, lands directly in the wake of Rams coach Sean McVay disclosing this week that an official had acknowledged a missed pass-interference call.

McVay generated headlines across the league last weekend when he revealed the content of a conversation with an official about a defensive-pass-interference penalty, admitting the call was wrong and saying the official told him as much. The disclosure was notable not just for the admitted miss but because it broke an unwritten protocol: what officials tell coaches is normally treated as off the record.

The memo does not change the league's encouragement for open dialogue — it reinforces that the dialogue is supposed to stay internal. It is a meaningful signal about where the league draws the line on transparency versus candor, and it could make coaches more guarded about repeating what officials tell them, even when a call is plainly wrong. The reminder also comes as the broader subject of officiating transparency stays in focus, with the McVay episode and the question of whether controversial calls should be more open to review continuing to draw attention around the league.