After Commanders’ Daron Payne Is Suspended For Scuffle With Amon Ra St. Brown, Debate About Who Was Responsible Continues Off Field

During the second quarter of Sunday night’s matchup between the Washington Commanders and Detroit Lions, a skirmish broke out between opposing Lions star wide receiver Amon Ra St. Brown and Commanders’ defensive tackle Daron Payne. 

The unsportsmanlike conduct call resulted in a suspension without pay for Payne, who punched St. Brown in the face during the second quarter of Sunday’s game. Despite footage showing St. Brown punching Payne in the face first, Payne was the one who received the penalty and suspension following the game.

Payne, in his eighth season playing for the Washington Commanders, was ejected in the second quarter following the Lions’ third touchdown in the first half. As St. Brown was walking off the field following the touchdown, Payne appeared to swing at St. Brown, hitting him on the side of the head with a powerful hit. Two plays prior to the punch, Payne and St. Brown seemed to get into it with each other, jawing after a short play inside the red zone. With a clear history within the game, it’s no surprise that tempers flared.

Following the game, some Washington players, including Javon Kinlaw, had some things to say about the fight, even stating that St. Brown was the one who swung on Payne. “Yeah for sure, and they [saw it], too,” Kinlaw said of the refs. “It’s some bulls—. 100 percent. Daron retaliated. The refs literally saw the first punch. I don’t blame him for the way he reacted. Tempers got to flaring.”

St. Brown also commented about the interaction. “Then we end up scoring, and I go up to him,” the Lions star receiver said. “I say a little something, nothing crazy, and then he decides to swing on me.”

With a history between the two teams over the course of the last year, Washington having eliminated the Lions in the second round of the playoffs, tempers were bound to flare. However, with the Commanders starting defensive tackle out this week against the Dolphins, it could prove to be a challenging matchup on the road.