Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

NFL defends decision not to eject Cam Heyward for punch

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated 11/22/21

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward appeared to get away with punching Justin Herbert on Sunday night, and the officiating crew has faced some criticism for letting it slide. Apparently they did not feel the act was malicious enough, but the Los Angeles Chargers strongly disagree.

With L.A. leading 27-20 in the fourth quarter, Heyward got into it with some Chargers players who were unhappy that he was laying on top of their quarterback. Heyward didn’t appreciate wide receiver Joshua Palmer trying to pull him off Herbert, so he reacted by taking a swipe at Palmer and seemingly punching Herbert in the gut.

Here’s the video:

How did @NFLOfficiating not eject Cam Heyward for this? Remember when Trai Turner spit on a guy? @NFL & @nflcommish turn a blind eye when PIT players do this type of stuff, & all they get is a minor fine (Aka slap w/ a wet noodle), if anything pic.twitter.com/XVC717o6Uv

— Kevin (@KevinMcCune) November 22, 2021

Throwing a punch is supposed to lead to an automatic ejection in the NFL, but Heyward remained in the game. Senior vice president of officiating Walt Anderson defended the decision and said the league office in New York agreed with Heyward remaining in the game.

NFL senior VP of officiating Walt Anderson on the Cam Heyward penalty, per pool report: "We looked at it here in New York and just did not feel that the action rose to the level of a disqualification and further action by us.”

— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) November 22, 2021

Heyward claimed he simply lost his balance and did not intentionally punch Herbert.

“I was trying to get up and I couldn’t get up and fell back on him,” the veteran said, via Dale Lolley of DK Pittsburgh Sports. “It was terrible. There was nothing malicious behind it. I wasn’t trying to punch him.”

The Chargers weren’t buying it.

Brandon Staley on this play: "I think that the truth will express itself from the video." https://t.co/SvPwj5gZFD

— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) November 22, 2021

The officials may have missed the punch in real time, but it certainly looked intentional. We saw another player ejected for throwing a punch on Sunday (video here), and you could argue Heyward’s stunt was just as egregious.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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