The Washington Commanders are struggling against the Detroit Lions with President Donald Trump in attendance. Frustrations seemingly boiled over at one point, as defensive tackle Daron Payne was seen punching Amon-Ra St. Brown on the field.
Officials immediately ejected Payne from the contest, calling it an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, according to Zach Selby of Commanders.com. The league is likely to review the incident and could dish out more punishments if it feels the need to.
“Daron Payne has been ejected from the game for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.”
The punch took place after a play where the Commanders’ defense was trotting off the field. Payne and St. Brown are seen jabbing back and forth before the 28-year-old defensive tackle threw a right hook at St. Brown’s face. It is currently unknown what the Lions star said before the incident.
Commanders’ DaRon Payne PUNCHED Amon-Ra St. Brown and has been ejected from the game
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 9, 2025
Washington still has the entire second half to play, which means the club still has a chance to come back from its 25-10 deficit at halftime. But the Commanders will have to improve. Through two quarters of play, the offense has only accumulated 123 total yards of offense while the Lions have 289 total yards of offense.
Not having Daron Payne on the defensive line will likely hurt the defense moving forward. However, that’s the price you pay for blatantly punching an opponent. We’ll see if the Commanders can bounce back in the second half. But based on how that first half went, Washington will need to change things drastically to do so.
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