Disciplinary Action
Ja’Marr Chase fined $31,599 for verbal abuse of official
Number of players fined down from Week 1, 2023
Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase was fined $31,599 for directing verbal abuse at referee Alex Kemp. In the game against the Chiefs, Chase was tackled and his legs were trapped briefly. Thinking it was the newly illegal hip-drop tackle, he immediately argued with Kemp for a flag. After walking away, Chase pursued Kemp and said something else which tipped into abusive language that drew the flag.
Ja'Marr Chase is INCENSED and he picks up a crucial flag pic.twitter.com/cyVBIEIACb
— NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS) September 15, 2024
Chase was fined the minimum amount for a first offense of verbal abuse of an official. That and physical contact with an official are the two highest minimum fines for on-field incidents.
We discussed the things that officials hear on the field and when a flag is warranted in our 1st & 25 podcast. (You can listen here or on your preferred podcast delivery app.)
Other fines of note from Week 2:
Broncos safety P.J. Locke was fined for a defenseless receiver hit for which he was flagged. While going to the bench he removed his helmet, which is legal, and threw it to the ground, which is illegal. He was not flagged for the second infraction. Both fines were $13,972 for a total of $27,944 on the same play.
Saints quarterback Derek Carr celebrated his touchdown by doing an impromptu Michael Jackson dance. The crotch grab was a penalty, and he was fined $14,069. Nice, I will let you make your own punchline there.
After two hip-drop tackles receiving fines in Week 1, there are four this past week: Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards, who injured Texans running back Joe Mixon; Rams defensive end Desjuan Johnson; Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton; and Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley. Texans running back Joe Mixon left the game and is out in Week 3 due to the injury from Edwards’ hip-drop tackle. All four were fined $16,883. (The list from the league shows Johnson with a fine less than the minimum, so that appears to be in error.)
The full list of fines is at the NFL Football Operations website.
