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Cincinnati Bengals superstar wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase was hit with a critical unsportsmanlike conduct penalty late in his team’s 26-25 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
Referee Alex Kemp called Chase for the flag after the wideout was seemingly irate at a potentially illegal tackle by Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie was not flagged. The call turned a 3rd-and-7 for Cincinnati at Kansas City’s 30-yard line into 3rd-and-22 at the 45. The Bengals ultimately settled for a field goal.
After the game, Kemp explained why he threw the flag and what Chase did to earn it.
“The simple answer is, profanity used by grown men versus direct, personal abusive language towards a game official,” Kemp said when asked about the difference between disagreement and abuse while giving his postgame pool report. “That’s the line. When that line gets crossed, we simply can’t let that happen in pro football.”
Ja’Marr Chase Refuses To Address Critical Penalty In Postgame Press Conference
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow attempted to diffuse the situation. But he failed to do so before Chase was flagged on the play.
“Just trying to de-escalate the situation,” Burrow said postgame. “I’m not entirely sure what was said or who threw the flag.”
Chase, who is in the middle of a contract dispute with Cincincinnati, believed McDuffie committed a hip-drop tackle. The tackle, which involves defenders using dead weight to drag a ball carrier to the ground, is now a 15-yard penalty.
But Kemp says McDuffie’s tackle was legal.
“We informed him that we did not feel it was a hip-drop tackle,” Kemp said in the pool report.
What did Chase think? Well, he didn’t say.
“I ain’t talking about it,” Chase told reporters when asked about the tackle and the call.
Cincinnati moved to 0-2 with the loss. But they’re still tied with AFC North division favorite Baltimore after the Ravens also dropped to 0-2 with a loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.