Washington Commanders defensive lineman Daron Payne might not have taken the correct lesson from his one-game suspension for punching Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Payne’s one-game ban is up this week, and he addressed the incident on Wednesday with the media. When asked what he learned from the incident, the defensive tackle kept it simple.
“I just know, next time, just do it in the moment instead of wait after the play,” Payne said. “Just do it in the moment.”
Suspension over. Daron Payne is back with the Commanders.
— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) November 26, 2025
What did Daron learn from punching Amon-Ra St. Brown?
Daron said, "I just know, next time do it in the moment instead of wait after the play. Just do it in the moment." pic.twitter.com/LFpz21wFld
Payne was suspended for punching St. Brown, seemingly without provocation. Video later emerged showing that St. Brown instigated the whole thing, but officials missed his role in the situation because Payne waited a bit to retaliate.
St. Brown was ultimately fined for the incident, but Payne definitely got the harsher punishment. On the other hand, officials are always more likely to see the retaliation than the start of the incident. That happened to Jalen Ramsey as well.
Payne is in his eighth NFL season. He has 35 career sacks, but just one this season.
