Josh Alper ,
Facebook
After Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne was ejected from Sunday’s loss to the Lions for punching Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, Payne’s teammate Javon Kinlaw said that Payne was retaliating after St. Brown punched Payne a few plays earlier.
Kinlaw said he didn’t blame Payne for retaliating and said an official “literally saw the first punch” without penalizing the wideout. St. Brown did not say anything about throwing a punch, but did acknowledge the prior interaction between the players.
“I mean, I think two plays before that, we got into a little scuffle , back and forth, whatever, this, that, and the other,” St. Brown said, via Nicki Jhabvala of TheAthletic.com. “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, so, I mean, it is what it is.”
On Tuesday, JP Finlay of NBC Washington shared video of that altercation. It shows the two men come together and push each other before an official starts moving toward them. As the official reaches the players, St. Brown appears to throw a right hand that comes into contact with Payne’s helmet.
Payne was suspended on Monday and his appeal was denied, so he will miss the team’s Week 11 game against the Dolphins in Madrid. Payne clearly punched St. Brown and retaliation for an earlier interaction has not been exculpatory in NFL disciplinary actions. Based on the video, however, it appears that St. Brown should have been at least been penalized for the initial interaction.
Big Shield combines gambling, pro football, and the mob into a cautionary tale regarding inside information, and the dangers that come from selling it.
Football is back and so are Mike Florio and Chris Simms! Watch PFT Live for the latest news coming out of the regular season, postseason and offseason every Monday to Friday at 7 a.m. ET on Peacock and the NBC Sports NOW channel.
