Given the sheer amount of testosterone and physicality in gridiron football, it’s a miracle that players don’t come to blows more often. But, whether you like it or not, scuffles are an inherent part of the game. That’s why no one was completely shocked when a frustrated Daron Payne took a swing at Amon-Ra St. Brown shortly after the wide receiver’s touchdown celebration.
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Toward the beginning of the Detroit Lions’ 44-22 win over the Washington Commanders in Week 10, Brown found his way to the end zone for the first touchdown of the day. He pointed toward the press box, where he believed Donald J. Trump was seated, and proceeded to do the President’s viral dance move.
However, Trump had yet to arrive at the game. Payne had a front-row seat for the celebration. And he clearly didn’t appreciate the gesture, and promptly swung at Brown’s head with an open hand.
The clip went viral, and it even caught the attention of the former defensive end, Marcellus Wiley, who labeled Payne’s actions as “stupid.” Wiley then suggested that “nobody should be getting hit on the football field.”
According to Wiley, the real concern isn’t the blow that was thrown, but rather Payne’s motivation for acting in such a violent manner. Given the context of the situation, he can’t help but fear that Payne’s decisions were driven by politics rather than a simple frustration over the way the game was going.
“What got into him, Daron Payne? Please don’t tell me that this is politicized… Please don’t tell me that, because Donald Trump took over the FOX broadcast of the Commanders-Lions game for nine whole minutes,” said Wiley.
“Please don’t tell me that Daron Payne is one of them, and I don’t mean a democrat, I mean one of them. You know, the ones that are intolerant… Did he really hit that boy just because he did the Donald Trump robot?” He added.
Of course, there’s no way of knowing what drove Payne unless he is willing to share it with us. Nevertheless, the optics are bad with this one, and fans can expect to hear news of a fine or perhaps even a potential suspension being handed down in the coming days.
