Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has been fined $31,599 by the NFL for unsportsmanlike conduct after he went off on referee Alex Kemp during their 26-25 Week 2 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Chase was unhappy after being tackled by Trent McDuffie. The Bengals wideout wanted a flag for a hip-drop tackle, a technique that was banned this season. McDuffie was not penalized on the play nor was he among the fines announced by the NFL on Saturday.
Chase was tackled after a four-yard reception that should have put the Bengals at third-and-7 at the Chiefs’ 30-yard line in the fourth quarter at Arrowhead Stadium. Instead of returning to the huddle, Chase jumped up and confronted Kemp.
Though it’s unclear what was specifically said, that’s when Kemp said Chase crossed the line.
“The simple answer is, profanity used by grown men versus direct, personal abusive language toward a game official,” Kemp said, via ESPN’s Ben Baby, when asked about the difference between abuse and simple disagreements on the field. “That’s the line. When that line gets crossed, we simply can’t let that happen in pro football.”
Things got so bad at one point during the confrontation, which eventually forced the Bengals to settle for a field goal that put them up by two points early in the fourth quarter, that quarterback Joe Burrow shoved Chase hard to keep him away from Kemp and the officials.
“Just trying to deescalate the situation,” Burrow said, via ESPN. “I’m not entirely sure what was said or who threw the flag.”
Chase declined to address the penalty after the game.
“I ain’t talking about it,” Chase said when asked.
As for the tackle that set off Chase in the first place, Kemp said the officials thought it was a legal move.
“We informed him that we did not feel it was a hip-drop tackle,” Kemp said, via ESPN.
Chase finished with 35 yards on four catches in the loss for the Bengals, who dropped to 0-2 on the season. The Chiefs, thanks in part to a pass interference call on a fourth down on their final drive, kicked a 51-yard field goal to grab the one-point win.
