Mary Gilmore, Staff Writer
In a week 10 matchup between the Washington Commanders and the Detroit Lions, tensions boiled over and caused debate across the NFL. Daron Payne, the Commanders veteran Defensive Tackle, was ejected and suspended after punching Lions Wide Receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
The altercation occurred shortly after the Lions scored their third touchdown of the first half. It was the second quarter, and Payne punched St. Brown after a verbal exchange. Payne received an unsportsmanlike penalty and an automatic ejection from that game. The NFL then responded with a one-game suspension against Payne, which he attempted to appeal but was unsuccessful.
However, this suspension came with lots of debate among players and fans. Commanders defensive tackle Javon Kinlow discussed the punch after the game, claiming that St. Brown had actually thrown hands first.
“Yeah for sure, and they [the refs] saw it, too. It’s some bulls—. 100 percent. Daron retaliated. The refs literally saw the first punch. I don’t blame him for the way he reacted. Tempers got to be flaring.”
While Kinlow was explaining what he saw, St. Brown also talked to reporters after the game. He said, “Two plays before that [the punch] we got into a little scuffle, back and forth. 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.”
The Commanders ended up losing the game 44-22.
On November 11, two days after the game, Payne shared a video to social media which showed just seconds before he threw the punch. The video showed St. Brown using an open hand to hit Payne’s facemask. Additionally, an NFL official appears to be looking directly at the two, but no flag was thrown until Payne’s retaliation. The video also shows other Commanders members pointing out the hit to the officials.
On November 15, the NFL finally took action against St. Brown for the altercation. As reported by Joseph Zucked for the NFL, “The NFL fined Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown $12,172 for smacking the helmet of Washington Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne.”
Payne’s ejection marked the first during his entire eight-year NFL career. How the situation was handled, with St. Brown only being fined after Payne got social media on his side, is extremely concerning by the NFL. It raises questions about retaliation and instigation on the field and how video evidence should be used when influencing game decisions.
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