The NFL acted swiftly in handing out punishment for Washington Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne, suspending him for 1 game the day after he punched Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown in a Week 10 loss.
Payne will miss the Commanders’ Week 11 game against the Miami Dolphins in Madrid, Spain.
The Commanders lost to the Lions, 44-22, for their fifth consecutive defeat. The loss dropped the Commanders to 3-7 overall.
“The NFL has suspended Commanders DT Daron Payne one game for punching Amon-Ra St. Brown on Sunday,” NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero tweeted on his official X account on Monday, November 10.
Payne punched St. Brown with under 2 minutes left in the fourth quarter after St. Brown scored a touchdown to put the Lions up 14-3.
Payne, a 2018 first round pick (No. 13 overall), has spent his entire career with the Commanders and signed a 4-year, $90 million contract extension in March 2023.
It’s only the second time he’s run afoul of the NFL — he was fined $10,927 for unsportsmanlike conduct in December 2023 following a game against the Los Angeles Rams.
“As a leader of Washington’s defense, Daron Payne should know better than to throw a punch on the field,” former Commanders quarterback Robert Griffin III wrote on his official X account following the game. “He should be suspended. There is no place for this in sports.”
Payne Fought Teammate on Sideline in 2021
Payne was on the receiving end of a punch on the Commanders sideline in 2021, when he poked defensive tackle and fellow Alabama product Jonathan Allen in the face, then Allen stood up and punched Payne in the face.
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