Daron Payne suspended for punching Amon-Ra St. Brown

It has been a difficult season for the Washington Commanders, who fell to 3-7 with Sunday’s 44-22 loss to the Detroit Lions. It was Washington’s second 44-22 loss in a month, as the Commanders lost to the Dallas Cowboys by that score back on October 19.

And now they lost one of their best defensive players for next week.

Defensive tackle Daron Payne was ejected from Sunday’s loss for punching Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, and on Monday morning the league announced that Payne would be assessed a one-game suspension for the incident. As noted in the league’s announcement:

During the second quarter, Payne was disqualified for striking Detroit’s Amon-Ra St. Brown, a violation of Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1, which applies to “any act which is contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship,” including “throwing a punch, or a forearm,” and Rule 12, Section 2, Article 14(d), which prohibits “striking, swinging at, or clubbing the head or neck of an opponent with the wrist(s), arm(s), elbow(s), or hand(s).”

You can see the incident here:

A fracas followed the ejection, with Javon Kinlaw scuffling with a few Detroit players. Kinlaw was given a 15-yard personal foul as a result of that incident, as contact was made with an official in the melee.

After the game, Kinlaw addressed Payne’s ejection.

“I just felt like, I just felt like in the moment we were being cheated, to be honest. Daron only retaliated because the refs literally saw the first punch, you know what I’m saying. I don’t blame him for the way he reacted, you know, and tempers got to flying. I mean, it is what it is. It’s a physical game,” said Kinlaw.

For his part, St. Brown conceded there was a “scuffle” a few plays earlier.

“I mean, I think two plays before that, we got into a little scuffle, back and forth, whatever, this, that, and the other, and then we end up scoring, and I go up to him,” St. Brown said. “I say a little something, nothing crazy, and then he decides to swing on me, so, I mean, it is what it is.”