Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh addresses the media during a news conference following the NFL game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 22, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh expressed his disappointment on Wednesday after the NFL suspended safety Derwin James Jr. for Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Freiermuth’s Role in the Hit
James was suspended for a hit on Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth during the third quarter of the Chargers’ 20-10 loss last Sunday. He was flagged for unnecessary roughness, but Harbaugh believes Freiermuth’s positioning led to the hit being illegal.
“There was not a defenseless player. [He] changed his course, and I thought that Derwin’s helmet was stiff-armed by Mr. Freiermuth,” he said. “I thought [the stiff-arm] caused his head to make the contact and I thought the contact was first with the forearm, then the shoulder, then the head.”
Harbaugh said that James’ tackle was an attempt to follow the NFL’s rules about avoiding head contact.
“You can never really take the head out of the game because it’s in between the two shoulders,” he said. “Trying to tackle with the shoulder, now the head, and the helmets coming with it. It’s in between the two shoulders. So, to the best of his human ability, he is trying to do that.”
James’ Commitment to Clean Tackling
Since entering the NFL in 2018, James has had seven unnecessary roughness penalties, second most in the league. Harbaugh explained that James has worked hard to avoid penalties by being more cautious during tackles.
“He has reached out on his own to officials this past summer to gain a better grasp of how they want it done,” Harbaugh said. “And the evidence is right there in the tape. I mean, look at all his 20-some tackles on the season and he’s going out his way … so that he can not injure another player or hit him with the head. So yeah, I’m disappointed.”
Harbaugh said that James “genuinely doesn’t want to hurt anyone” and he wasn’t upset with his player.
NFL Cites Safety Violations
The NFL’s vice president of football operations, Jon Runyan, stated that James lowered his head on the hit, making illegal contact that could have been avoided.
“Your continued disregard for NFL playing rules will not be tolerated,” Runyan wrote. “Substantial penalties are warranted when players violate the rules intended to protect player safety on a repeated basis, particularly when the violations carry with them a significant risk of injury to an opposing player.”
James appealed the suspension, but hearing officer Derrick Brooks, appointed by both the NFL and the Players’ Association, upheld it.
Chargers Rely on Backup Safeties
The Chargers will rely on backup safeties Elijah Molden and AJ Finley in James’ absence. Molden had an interception in the Chargers’ Week 2 win over the Carolina Panthers.
This report used information from ESPN.
