Washington Commanders defensive lineman Daron Payne was suspended without pay for one game Monday by the NFL for unsportsmanlike conduct during Sunday’s loss to the Detroit Lions.
Payne was flagged and ejected in the second quarter for taking a shot at Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
A league statement said that Payne violated “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).”
Washington (3-7) lost its fifth consecutive game on Sunday. The 44-22 setback is the fourth loss in a row by at least 21 points.
Following Sunday’s loss, Commanders defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw said officials saw St. Brown instigate Payne by “hitting him first.”
Payne can appeal the suspension to one of the jointly appointed hearing officers compensated by the NFL and NFLPA — Jordy Nelson, Ramon Foster and Derrick Brooks. If the on-field discipline is upheld, Payne is eligible to return to the Commanders’ active roster on Monday, Nov. 17, following the Nov. 16 game in Madrid against the Miami Dolphins. That will be the start of the bye week for Washington.
Payne, 28, has 30 tackles and one sack in 10 starts this season, his eighth with Washington since being drafted 13th overall in 2018. A Pro Bowl selection in 2022, he has only missed one game in his career (Week 12 in 2019).
