The Washington Commanders lost their fifth consecutive game last week, falling 44-22 to the Detroit Lions. It was another frustrating defeat for the Commanders, particularly their struggling defense. That frustration boiled over in the second quarter when defensive tackle Daron Payne punched Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. Officials immediately ejected Payne, who was suspended one week by the NFL.
Payne will miss Sunday's game in Madrid against the Miami Dolphins. After the game, Washington defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw was adamant that St. Brown threw the first punch a couple of plays before. Many believed Kinlaw was just sticking up for his teammate.
As it turns out, Payne and Kinlaw were right. Payne posted a short video clip on his Instagram, showing St. Brown throwing a punch at Payne.
Here’s the video of Amon-Ra St. Brown swinging on Daron Payne a few plays before Payne swung back and got ejected. This tells the other side of the story. pic.twitter.com/M7jUH9zcGr
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) November 11, 2025
St. Brown initially downplayed the incident after the game. While Payne still should not have punched St. Brown, had the official correctly thrown the flag — he was standing right there — the escalation from Payne never would have happened. Therefore, we believe the NFL should have suspended St. Brown for one game, as it did with Payne.
On Saturday, the NFL handed out punishment around the league, including for the incidents in the game between the Commanders and Lions. Kinlaw was fined $28,555 for his unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and making contact with an official.
St. Brown was punished, too. No, he was not suspended. After all, the Lions have a big game on Sunday — they face the Philadelphia Eagles. So, the NFL can't do anything to damage its Sunday night game. Therefore, St. Brown was only fined. The amount? $12,172.
And you wonder why no one takes the NFL's punishment system seriously?
While the NFL gave St. Brown a slap on the wrist, we'd be curious to know what punishment the official received for allowing all of this. Yet, players and coaches are fined for criticizing the league's officiating. Sounds fair, eh?
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown fined for first punch