Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase fined $31,599 for screaming at referee during Week 2 loss to Chiefs

Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase did not receive the long-term lucrative extension he was after this offseason, and now, he finds his wallet a bit lighter due to his outburst during the Week 2 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. 

According to CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones, Chase has been fined $31,599 for his third-quarter verbal tirade against an official. After a 4-yard reception on a second-and-11, Chase exploded on an official because he believed the Chiefs defender utilized the now-illegal hip-drop tackle on him.

Official Alex Kemp said in the Chiefs-Bengals pool report that the flag was thrown on Chase for language toward the official. 

“It’s pretty clear-cut. It’s just simply abusive language toward a game official,” Kemp said. “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.”

While this specific tackle probably did not meet all of the criteria for a hip-drop tackle, Chase isn’t alone in his frustration about this play. The hip-drop tackle has yet to be penalized in a game, but it is being fined after the fact. Chicago Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards and New York Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley were both reportedly fined $16,883 for hip-drop tackles that went uncalled in Week 2.