National Football League

Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase issued fine for 'abusive language' in Chiefs loss

Published Sep. 21, 2024 5:09 p.m. ET

Ja'Marr Chase received more than just a costly 15-yard penalty for his obscene language at a referee in the Cincinnati Bengals' 26-25 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Bengals star wide receiver was also issued a $31,599 fine for the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty he received for screaming at referee Alex Kemp, NFL Media reported Saturday.

It's unclear what Chase explicitly told Kemp that warranted the 15-yard penalty. However, he was pleading his case for Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie to receive a penalty for a hip-drop tackle after he made a 4-yard reception in the fourth quarter. McDuffie wasn't penalized and didn't receive a fine, either. The NFL outlawed hip-drop tackles this offseason.

"It's pretty clear cut. It's just simply abusive language toward a game official," Kemp said in the pool report of Chase's penalty after Sunday's game. "That's all it was. And there was really no interpretation. I'm not going to repeat to you what he said, but there was no interpretation with the language that he used - just abusive language."

Kemp also shared the difference between disagreeing with an official and "abusive language."

"The simple answer is, profanity used by grown men versus direct, personal abusive language towards a game official," Kemp said. "That's the line. When that line gets crossed, we simply can't let that happen in pro football."

Chase, who had four receptions for 35 yards in the loss, was looking to turn the page when asked about the matter.

"Just got to learn from the mistakes and move on," Chase told reporters.

Were the Chiefs lucky to beat the Bengals?

The reception initially set the Bengals up for a third-and-7 from the Chiefs' 30-yard line with just under 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter, trailing 23-22 at the time. After the penalty, the Bengals faced a third-and-22 from the Chiefs' 45-yard line, forcing them to try and get back into field goal range.

Cincinnati was able to get a field goal to take a 25-23 lead after Joe Burrow connected with tight end Mike Gesicki for a 10-yard reception on the play after Chase's penalty. But the Bengals needed more than three points on what wound up being their penultimate possession, with the Chiefs kicking a field goal as time expired to win the game.

The loss moved the Bengals to 0-2, putting them in an unideal spot to open the year. They'll look to get their first win of the season when they host the Washington Commanders on Monday night.

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