Mike Florio ,
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On Sunday, Commanders defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw apparently was saved from an ejection because of teammate Daron Payne’s ejection.
The George McFly-style roundhouse punch to Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown got Payne disqualified, and then suspended. After the very next play, a two-point conversion attempt after a Detroit touchdown, Kinlaw made contact with umpire Brandon Cruse. Kinlaw was flagged but not kicked out of the game.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the officials did not want to eject a player on consecutive plays.
Of course, that shouldn’t matter. If a player does something for which he should be ejected, he should be ejected. That fact that someone else was properly ejected one play earlier is irrelvant.
It’s a bad precedent for officials, creating essentially open season on the play after a player is ejected.
Kinlaw also wasn’t suspended. If he was going to be, it would have happened by now. Instead, it’s likely he’ll be fined this week, with the league including the punishment in the usual Saturday afternoon disclosure of all fines from the prior week.
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