Chargers safety Derwin James suspended for one game for violating NFL safety rules with a helmet tackle
Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James has been suspended for one game without pay for repeated violations of player safety rules, the league announced Monday night.
The suspension came after James struck Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth in the head with his helmet while attempting a tackle during their 20-10 loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday. The violation, the league said, was one of many James has committed recently.
In the third quarter, James attempted to tackle Freiermuth, but he lowered his helmet and brought Freiermuth down with helmet-to-helmet contact, for which he received a penalty.
Here is the hit that deserves #Chargers S Derwin James was suspended for one game for repeated violations of NFL safety rules.
“Video of the game shows that you lowered your head and made violent contact. … Your continued disregard for the NFL’s rules of the game will not be tolerated.” pic.twitter.com/2KUxc25zrm
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) 23 September 2024
According to the NFL, James had a “clear path” to tackle Freiermuth and his illegal contact “could have been avoided.”
“Your continued disregard for the NFL’s rules of the game will not be tolerated,” NFL executive Jon Runyan wrote in his suspension letter to James, which was shared via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. “Significant penalties are warranted when players repeatedly violate the rules designed to protect their safety, particularly when the violations create a significant risk of injury to an opposing player.”
James totaled eight tackles and one sack in the 20-10 loss. The 28-year-old is playing his seventh season in the league. Last season he had a career-high 125 tackles and one interception. James has been penalized twice this season, the first of which came earlier against the Steelers when he was given a facemask penalty. Last season he received seven penalties, four of which were for unnecessary roughness.
James is expected to appeal the suspension, and if it stands, he will miss Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chargers enter the contest with a 2-1 record after losing at Pittsburgh on Sunday. They opened the season with wins over the Las Vegas Raiders and Carolina Panthers, but quarterback Justin Herbert left Sunday’s game with an ankle injury. His status for the game against the Chiefs is still unknown.
The Chiefs, on the other hand, are a perfect 3-0 after picking up another win against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night.
