The Kansas City Chiefs, fresh off a clutch victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night, will turn their attention to an AFC West matchup this weekend. The Los Angeles Chargers will be without a top player on defense following an NFL disciplinary ruling.
Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. has been suspended without pay for one game for repeated violations of playing rules intended to protect the health and safety of players. The league offices released a press release focusing on this past Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In a letter to James, NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan detailed that the suspension is for a violation of Rule 12, Section 2, Article 10 (a), which states that “it is a foul if a player lowers his head and makes forcible contact with his helmet against an opponent.” He noted that James has had multiple offenses for personal fouls in recent seasons.
“During the third quarter of Sunday’s Chargers-Steelers game, you were involved in a play that the League considers a serious violation of the playing rules,” said Runyan in the letter. “The video of the play shows that you lowered your head and made forcible contact to Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth. You had an unobstructed path to your opponent, and the illegal contact could have been avoided.”
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“Your continued disregard for NFL playing rules will not be tolerated,” said Runyan. “Substantial penalties are warranted when players violate the rules intended to protect player safety on a repeated basis, particularly when the violations carry with them a significant risk of injury to an opposing player.”
The Chargers star will be eligible to return to the active roster on Monday, September 30th, after the Week 4 matchup with the Chiefs.