Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has been fined $31,599 by NFL for unsportsmanlike conduct after he left on referee Alex Kemp during their 26-25 Week 2 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Chase wasn’t happy about being tackled by Trent McDuffie. The Bengals receiver wanted a flag for a hip tackle, a technique that is banned this season. McDuffie wasn’t penalized for the move and wasn’t among the fines announced by the NFL Saturday.
Chase was tackled after a 4-yard reception that should have put the Bengals on 3rd-and-7 at the Chiefs’ 30-yard line in the fourth quarter at Arrowhead Stadium. Instead of returning to the huddle, Chase stood up and confronted Kemp.
While it’s unclear exactly what was said, that’s when Kemp said Chase crossed the line.
“The answer is simple: profanity used by adult men rather than direct, personal abuse directed at a game official,” Kemp said. via ESPN’s Ben Babywhen asked what the difference was between abuse and simple disagreements on the pitch. “That’s the line. When that line is crossed, we just can’t let that happen in professional football.”
Things got so bad at one point during the game, eventually forcing the Bengals to settle for a two-point field goal early in the fourth quarter, that quarterback Joe Burrow pushed Chase hard to keep him away from Kemp and the officials.
“I’m just trying to defuse the situation,” Burrow said, via ESPN. “I don’t know exactly what was said or who threw the flag.”
Chase declined to comment on the penalty after the game.
“I don’t talk about it,” Chase said when asked.
As for the tackle that set Chase off in the first place, Kemp said officials believed it was a legal move.
“We let him know we didn’t think it was a hip tackle,” Kemp said, via ESPN.
Chase finished with 35 yards on four receptions in the loss for the Bengals, who fell to 0-2 on the season. The Chiefs, thanks in part to pass interference on fourth down on their final drive, kicked a 51-yard field goal to clinch the one-point victory.
