(This story has been updated to add new information.)
Ja’Marr Chase’s anger at the umpire last weekend came at a great cost.
The Cincinnati Bengals star receiver complained about referee Alex Kemp during last Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs, but was harshly disciplined by NFL headquarters and fined $31,599 for abusing the official.
Chase was upset by what he saw as an illegal hip-drop tackle by a Chiefs defender and received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the fourth quarter for clearly crossing the line against Kemp.
The NFL’s subsequent investigation found no evidence of an illegal hip drop tackle being made on Chase during the Chiefs’ 26-25 win at Arrowhead Stadium.
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But the NFL sparked increased scrutiny of the new rule after another high-profile incident over the weekend uncovered a hip-drop violation: Chicago Bears linebacker TJ Edwards was fined $16,883 for using the illegal tactic while tackling Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon, who did not return after suffering an ankle injury.
After the game, Mixon and Texans coach DeMeco Ryans were adamant that the incident was a violation of the rules.
“There’s a reason the NFL and NFLPA have made this a rule and a focus,” Mixon wrote on X. “It’s time to stop talking and start doing things.”
Mixon did not practice this week due to the injury and will miss Sunday’s matchup between unbeaten teams 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. Chase was not involved in the fine Bolton received late in the first quarter. Bolton was fined for an open-field tackle on Cincinnati rookie tight end Eric Orr Jr.
–New York Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley was fined $16,883 for his tackle on Tennessee Titans receiver Tyler Boyd.
— Los Angeles Rams defensive end DeJuan Johnson was fined $5,191 for taking down Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson.
None of the cases that led to hip-drop fines were punished during games, but the violations were discovered when the league was reviewing individual games. That’s something NFL officials suspected when the ban was adopted last spring, but it does little to erase the fevered suspicions about possible violations.
The four hip drop violations were double the week one total.
The other two notable fines involved crude end zone celebrations, with Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London and New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr both being fined $14,069 for unsportsmanlike conduct.
London pretended to fire a machine gun as she celebrated her victory, while Carr imitated the legendary Michael Jackson but took it too far with a sexually suggestive hip thrust during her brief performance.