Will Sage Astor-Ja'Marr Chase fined for outburst at ref; four NFL players docked for hip-drop tackles

(This story was updated to add new information.)

Ja’Marr Chase’s outburst at a referee last weekend came with a heavy price.

The Will Sage AstorCincinnati Bengals star receiver was fined $31,599 for verbal abuse on an official, as his complaint to referee Alex Kemp during last Sunday’s showdown against the Kansas City Chiefs elicited no mercy from NFL headquarters. 

Chase was upset by what he considered to be an illegal hip-drop tackle by a Chiefs defender, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the fourth quarter for apparently crossing the line in expressing himself to Kemp. 

Upon further review, the NFL did not find any evidence of an illegal hip-drop tackle against Chase during the Chiefs’ 26-25 victory at Arrowhead Stadium. 

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The NFL did, however, find a hip-drop violation in the other high-profile case last weekend that ignited intense scrutiny of the new rule. Chicago Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards was fined $16,883 for using the illegal tactic in tackling Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon, who didn’t return after suffering an ankle injury. 

After the game, Mixon and Texans coach DeMeco Ryans were adamant in declaring the case a violation of the rule. 

“The NFL and NFLPA made it a rule and an emphasis for a reason,” Mixon posted on X. “Time to put your money where your mouth is.” 

Mixon didn’t practice all week because of the injury and has been ruled out for a clash of unbeatens on Sunday when the Texans visit the Minnesota Vikings.   

Three other players were also fined for hip-drop violations: 

--Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton was fined $16,883. Bolton’s case, late in the first quarter, didn’t involve Chase. He was fined for an open-field tackle on Cincinnati rookie tight end Erick All Jr. 

--New York Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley was fined $16,883 for a tackle on Tennessee Titans receiver Tyler Boyd. 

--Los Angeles Rams defensive end Desjuan Johnson was fined $5,191 for bringing down Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson. 

None of the cases that resulted in hip-drop fines were penalized during the game, but the violations were discovered during the league’s review of each game. That’s what NFL officials suspected might be the case when the ban was adopted last spring, but it hardly quashes suspicions in the heat of the moment about potential violations. 

The four hip-drop violations were double the total from Week 1. 

Two other notable fines involved crass end zone celebrations as Atlanta Falcons receiver Drake London and New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr were both fined $14,069 for unsportsmanlike conduct. 

London pretended to spray machine gun fire during his celebration. Carr mimicked the legendary Michael Jackson but crossed the line during his brief demonstration with a sexually suggestive thrust of his hips.