Look: Referee Discusses Reason Behind Crucial Ja'Marr Chase Unsportsmanlike Penalty

Cincinnati lost to Kansas City 26-25.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) walks for the locker room after the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 2 game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. The Chiefs took a 26-25 win with a go-ahead field goal as time expired. / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — Alex Kemp was one of the referees assigned to the Bengals' 26-25 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday. He explained the unsportsmanlike conduct call on Ja'Marr Chase late in the game.

That flag made a 3rd-and-7 on the Bengals' final scoring drive a 3rd-and-22. The Bengals picked up 10 yards on third down and settled for a field goal. Chase didn't want to comment on the situation following the game.

“It’s pretty clear cut,” Kemp said about the call. “It’s just simply abusive language toward a game official. That’s all it was. And there really was no interpretation. I’m not going to repeat to you what he said, but there was no interpretation with the language that he used—just abusive language.”

Cincinnati went back and forth with Kansas City all afternoon in another classic matchup between the two teams.

“The simple answer is, profanity used by grown men versus direct, personal abusive language toward a game official," Kemp concluded on the call. "That’s the line. When that line gets crossed, we simply can’t let that happen in pro football.”

What was Chase questioning? The Bengals star thought it was a hip-drop tackle, which has been banned by the NFL this season.

“He was questioning the tackle," Kemp said. "He thought he was hip-drop tackled on the previous
play. And so, he came to me wondering about a hip-drop tackle. That was the beginning line of
questioning.”

Check out the full pool report below:

Pool Report From Bengals-Chiefs, September 15 /

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