Bill Belichick’s awkward-looking run-in with female ref (NFL in :90)

Thou shalt not touch the officials. That’s a commandment Bill Belichick appeared guilty of breaking on Sunday after he called over line judge Sarah Thomas to argue a point. The New England Patriots put both hands over Thomas’ shoulders as he made his demonstration and a still of the moment quickly went viral.

The optics, of course, were not good. Any touching of the league’s officials is never permitted and the fact that Thomas is the league’s only female official only added to the awkwardness. However, if you look closely, it appears that Belichick never directly touches Thomas, only hovers his hands over both shoulders.

Check it out yourself: 

So exactly what went on here? The world may never know. Reporters did not ask Belichick about the incident after New England’s surprising 35-28 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and Belichick, not surprisingly, did not elaborate on the situation himself. 

Whatever the case, Belichick has bigger fish to fry. Sunday’s defeat dropped the 10-2 Pats to the third seed in the AFC playoff race and puts them in danger of missing a first-round bye. if that happens, Belichick might definitely need a hug.

If not from Thomas, then definitely from someone else. 

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Kevin Kaduk is a writer for Yahoo Sports.. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KevinKaduk