Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase was fined $31,599 by the NFL for unsportsmanlike conduct after he became enraged at referee Alex Kemp during the team’s 26-25 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2.
Chase was unhappy after being tackled by Trent McDuffie. The Bengals wide receiver called for a foul on a hip-drop tackle, which was banned this season. McDuffie was not penalized on the play and was not included in the fines announced by the NFL on Saturday.
Chase was tackled after receiving a 4-yard pass at the Chiefs’ 30-yard line in the fourth quarter at Arrowhead Stadium on what would have been a third-down, 7-yard situation for the Bengals. Instead of returning to the huddle, Chase leapt up to confront Kemp.
It’s unclear what exactly was said, but Kemp said that’s when Chase crossed the line.
“The simple answer is the difference between foul language used by adults and direct, personal abuse directed at an official,” Kemp said, via ESPN’s Ben Baby, when asked about the difference between on-field abuse and simple disagreements. “That’s the line. Once you cross that line, we can’t allow that to happen in professional football.”
Things got so bad at one point during the confrontation that the Bengals were eventually forced to settle for a field goal for a two-point lead early in the fourth quarter, with quarterback Joe Burrow violently shoving Chase away from Kemp and the referees.
“I’m just trying to calm the situation,” Burrow told ESPN. “I don’t really know what was said or who threw the flag.”
Chase declined to comment on the penalty after the game.
“I’m not going to talk about that,” Chase said in response to a question.
As for the tackle that pissed Chase off in the first place, Kemp said the officials thought it was a legal move.
“We told him we didn’t think it was a hip drop tackle,” Kemp said, via ESPN.
Chase had four catches for 35 yards, but the Bengals fell to 0-2 this season. The Chiefs were called for pass interference on fourth down on their final drive and managed a 51-yard field goal to win by one point.
