Ja'Marr Chase fined $31,599 for yelling at referee during Bengals-Chiefs game

The NFL fined Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase on Saturday afternoon $31,599 for unsportsmanlike conduct, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. He screamed abusive language at referee Alex Kemp, who flagged him on the play. He did not mention the specific words used by Chase in the official pool report he submitted to reporters after the game. Chase was arguing for a flag on a hip-drop tackle by Trent McDuffie, who wasn’t flagged or fined on the play.

The game ended with the Chiefs defeating the Bengals 26-25.

After the game, the referee, Alex Kemp, explained why he called the penalty on Chase. It’s pretty clear-cut. “It’s just simply abusive language toward a game official. That’s all it was,” he said. “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.”

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More on Ja’Marr Chase and his penalty

After a tackle on an important drive for Cincinnati, Chase got after the official in a way that earned him a crucial penalty. As he continued, it led to an exchange between him and Joe Burrow as the Bengals’ quarterback tried to calm his leading receiver down somehow.

Based on the speculation and reporting for the broadcast by CBS, Chase felt as though Trent McDuffie had committed a hip-drop tackle against him in coverage. However, it appears he was the only one who felt that way.

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The flag pushed Cincinnati back 15 yards in a key moment in the game. That’s when Burrow got involved with him pushing away and holding him back from the official in the exchange.

It could have been even more costly had it kept the Bengals from scoring on the drive. However, Evan McPherson was still able to take the lead with a made kick from 53 yards out.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes had an uncharacteristically sloppy performance. He completed 18 of 25 passes for 151 yards, while tossing in two touchdowns with two interceptions. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow completed 23 of 36 passes for 258 yards, while tossing in two touchdowns.

Chase finished the game with four catches for 35 yards.

On3’s Nick Schultz and Brian Jones also contributed to this article.