Washington Commanders D-lineman Daron Payne has been suspended for one game without pay following his altercation with Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown in Sunday’s game.
Following a touchdown run by Jahmyr Gibbs in the first half, Payne was seen on the broadcast punching St. Brown in the helmet.
Payne, 28, was ejected immediately for both unsportsmanlike conduct and for striking a player in the “head or neck” area, both separate violations by NFL rules.
After the game, Payne’s teammate Javon Kinlaw insisted that he was retaliating for St. Brown punching him before the altercation and that refs were aware of it.
Kinlaw was also penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct after the punch as he hit a referee in the ensuing moments.
“Daron only retaliated because the refs literally saw the first punch (from St. Brown). I don’t blame him for the way he reacted,” Kinlaw told reporters postgame. “Tempers got to flying, it is what it is, it’s a physical game. (Expletive) happens. On my end I’ve just got to be smarter in certain situations and protect the team.”
When asked to confirm he saw St. Brown throw a punch, he was insistent.
“Yeah, for sure and they (officials) did too (see St. Brown hit Payne),” Kinlaw said. “That (expletive) was some (expletive), 100%.”
No camera angle of St. Brown doing so has been released, but he did recognize that the pair had a small scuffle a few plays prior. And when St. Brown went over to him after the score, it resulted in the penalty.
“I think two plays before that, we got into a little scuffle, back and forth, whatever, this and that, and the other,” St. Brown said. “And then we end up scoring, and I go up to him, I say a little something -- nothing crazy -- and then he decides to swing on me. I mean, it is what it is.”
Washington was much more heavily penalized during the game than the Lions, who ran away with a 44-22 victory after amassing over 500 yards of offense. The Commanders were called for eight infractions to just three from the Lions.
This comes amid a five-game losing streak for Washington where the defense is allowing 35.8 points per game to opponents.
The touchdown Detroit scored followed by a successful two-point conversion put the Lions ahead 22-3 early in the second quarter.
“I get the frustration. But we’ve got to find a way to channel our frustration better or different than that,” Commanders coach Dan Quinn said of the penalties. “So, the frustration is not an excuse, I guess that’s what I’m trying to say.”
Payne will be able to appeal the suspension, otherwise he will miss the team’s Week 11 game against the Miami Dolphins in Madrid, Spain.
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