Denzel Perryman of the Houston Texans will miss the next three games due to a suspension imposed by the NFL. The league announced the decision on Tuesday, attributing it to Perryman’s repeated violations of play safety regulations during the Texans’ surprising Week 10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
During the game, the 30-year-old veteran was penalized for unnecessary roughness after delivering a helmet-to-helmet hit on Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase in the fourth quarter. In a letter to Perryman, Jon Runyan, NFL vice president of football operations, deemed the hit a serious violation of playing rules. Runyan argued that Perryman could have avoided the forceful hit by not lowering his head and delivering a blow to the shoulder and head/neck area of the receiver when he had an unobstructed path to his opponent.
This isn’t Perryman’s first brush with disciplinary action; he has accumulated six violations for similar personal fouls throughout his career. Earlier in the season, he was fined by the league for actions in a game against the Indianapolis Colts.
In response to Perryman’s repeated violations, Runyan emphasized the need for more substantial penalties when players compromise the safety rules designed to protect players. Perryman’s suspension means he won’t receive pay during the three-game period, and he has the option to file an appeal.
If Perryman decides to appeal, the hearing will be presided over by either Derrick Brooks or James Thrash, who are jointly appointed and compensated by the NFL and the Players Association to hear on-field player discipline appeals. Perryman will be ineligible to return to the Texans’ active roster until December 4, missing games against the Denver Broncos on December 3 and the New York Jets in New Jersey in Week 14.
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