There is no grey area when it comes to unnecessary force on the gridiron; you throw a punch, you’re ejected from the game. The flag comes out immediately. With such clarity on the rule, imagine how bewildering it was to see a referee holding Matthew Golden’s hand, after he appeared to punch a Carolina Panthers player in the Thursday Night Football matchup.

“Ref was getting ready to eject Matthew Golden but maybe he just really needed a friend right now,” wrote Barstool Sports on X, sharing the clip. 

On a red zone play in the second quarter, it is seen that the Packers wide receiver was trying to dodge Marco Wilson’s attempts to push him off. Golden finally lost his cool and pushed at the Panthers defender, retaliating with a shove to the chest and then a hit on the facemask. A referee quickly intervened and threw a flag. However, it was intended for Wilson, not Golden.

Wilson was given an unnecessary roughness penalty, which was necessary, but Golden’s retaliation, per the rulebook, also called for one. He continued to be on the field for the rest of the drive, which resulted in a touchdown for the Packers.

The next scene showed the Prime Video cameras capturing something that left the fans upset at the league. The referee was seen running with Golden, with a firm grip on his hand.

“I’ve never seen [something like] that,” Kirk Herbstreit said in the Prime Video commentary. He added the refs might have been telling him, “Hey man, we’re on to you, you gotta control your emotions.”

Later, he was also seen talking to Golden when he was on the bench, this time with some apparent restrained anger.

What penalty could Golden have gotten, and how would it affect Green Bay?
The WR could have easily been flagged for a facemask foul, which results in a 15-yard penalty. Per the NFL rulebook, if the action is “flagrant,” Golden could have been ejected from the game.

This happened when the Kansas City Chiefs took on the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 6. Chiefs CB Christian Roland-Wallace was ejected after he landed a punch on Chargers offensive lineman Alex Harkey. It remains to be seen if Golden will receive a penalty later on, after the NFL reviews the game.

It would have set the Panthers back at a crucial point in the game.

Green Bay had lost WR Christian Watson to a troubling chest injury earlier in the game. But at this moment, the Packers were trailing 10-6 in the second quarter. They were at a 1st-and-goal with a little over eight minutes to go before halftime.

Green Bay had rushed for one yard on the play and reached Carolina’s 7-yard line. Had the penalty been enforced here, they would have to go back to the 21-yard line, just shy of the red zone once again. A crucial scoring opportunity might have been taken away from Green Bay, had Golden been flagged.

The Packers WR entered the game with a clear penalty. Golden’s celebration after a 37-yard reception in the first quarter of the Packers’ 23-13 win over Dallas last Sunday has cost him $11,941 in fines.

He had turned and flexed toward a Cowboys player, prompting officials to call a 15-yard taunting penalty. But for his action against the Panthers, no action was taken against him, leaving fans upset. 

Fans call out NFL over bizarre move
“What the actual f*** is this? Never seen it in my 40 years of fandom,” wrote a fan. 

“What a league… @NFL u can throw a punch but can’t tackle a qb,” wrote another upset fan. 

“Refs really give the Packers special treatment. It’s insane,” another fan wrote. 

“Weird, never seen a punch not be ejected,” a fan wrote.

“Matthew Golden was literally HOLDING HANDS with a referee on the sideline. Since when is putting your hands on an official no big deal?!”

The hits have been caught on camera, and the internet has discussed the act plenty.  We will have to wait and watch what becomes of this in the next few days.