NFL Announces Punishment For Ja'Marr Chase, Referee Incident
Today at 04:48 PM
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase went a bit overboard protesting what he thought was a missed call during last week's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
In the fourth quarter of Kansas City's 26-25 win, Chase was fuming that Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie wasn't called for an illegal hip drop tackle.
Chase aggressively argued his case, drawing a flag for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the process.
"It's pretty clear cut. It's just simply abusive language toward a game official," referee Alex Kemp said after the game, via NFL.com. "That's all it was. And there was really no interpretation. I'm not going to repeat to you what he said, but there was no interpretation with the language that he used -- just abusive language."
On Saturday, the NFL revealed it was fining Chase more than $30,000 for the incident.
"The NFL fined #Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase $31,599 for unsportsmanlike conduct — screaming at referee Alex Kemp, who flagged Chase for abusive language," tweeted NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. "Chase wanted a flag for a hip-drop tackle on Trent McDuffie, who was neither flagged nor fined."
Chase, who has been caught in a contract dispute with the Bengals and staged a "hold in" throughout training camp, has had a relatively quiet start to the 2024 season.
Through two games, both losses, the star wideout has only 10 receptions for 97 yards and no touchdowns. Cincinnati will need him to break out sooner rather than later.
Related: Ja'Marr Chase Likely To Be Punished For Incident vs. Chiefs Sunday
