Amon-Ra St. Brown has been fined by the NFL following his incident with Washington Commanders star Daron Payne, who was ejected and later suspended for his involvement
19:09 ET, 15 Nov 2025Updated 19:09 ET, 15 Nov 2025
Amon-Ra St. Brown has been fined by the NFL for striking Daron Payne in Week 10
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Amon-Ra St. Brown has been fined by the NFL for striking Daron Payne in Week 10(Image: 2025 G Fiume)
The NFL has fined Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St Brown $12,172 after new footage surfaced of his scuffle with Washington Commanders defensive lineman Daron Payne.
The Lions beat the Commanders 44-22 at Northwest Stadium in Week 10, but other storylines dominated the headlines. Donald Trump attended the game, and St. Brown celebrated the occasion by performing the President's trademark dance after scoring a touchdown.
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Payne also punched St. Brown during the contest, and the Commanders' star was ejected and later handed a one-game suspension. Payne claimed that he retaliated after being hit by St. Brown first, and the NFL has since disciplined the Lions' star.
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The NFL fined St. Brown for unnecessary roughness after it became clear that he smacked Payne's facemask during the game. Several plays later, Payne smacked St. Brown and was thrown out of the game.
Though the NFL missed St. Brown's contribution at the time, Payne posted footage to support his claims on Instagram. Payne appealed the suspension, but the NFL upheld its initial punishment.
The suspension was costly for several reasons. Washington is without Payne for the Week 11 clash against the Miami Dolphins as the NFL heads to Spain for the first time in history.
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Not only will Payne miss out on a historic occasion, playing in Madrid at the iconic Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, but he won't be able to collect his game check. With Payne earning over $19 million in base salary this season, he has missed out on over $1 million.
St. Brown has been handed a much lighter fine and signed a four-year, $120 million contract with $77 million guaranteed in April 2024. St. Brown will also be available in Week 11, when the Lions face the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football.
Elsewhere, Commanders defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw was fined $28,555 for unsportsmanlike conduct after he struck an official. Kinlaw witnessed the events unfold between St. Brown and Payne and lost his cool when protesting.
Daron Payne was suspended by the NFL and made an unsuccessful appeal
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Daron Payne was suspended by the NFL and made an unsuccessful appeal(Image: Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Kinlaw continued to defend Payne after the game, and told CBS: "Only retaliated because the refs literally saw the first punch, and I don’t blame him for the way he reacted. Tempers got to flying, and it is what it is.
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"It’s a physical game, (expletive) happens. But on my end, I just got to be smarter in certain situations and protect the team."
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St. Brown even admitted to reporters that he had initially made contact with Payne. "So two plays before that we got in a little scuffle," St. Brown said after the game.
"Back and forth, whatever, this, that, and the other, 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."