Lions' Jamie Collins Reportedly Avoids Suspension After Head-Butting Referee

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Monday that Detroit Lions linebacker Jamie Collins will not be suspended after head-butting an official, a move that ultimately led to his ejection during the Lions' Week 1 loss to Chicago.

Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times said Collins was demonstrating a hit when he was flagged and tossed by referee Alex Kemp with 12:16 left in the second quarter.

The Detroit Free Press' Carlos Monarrez said Kemp told a pool reporter that "players are allowed to touch officials, put a hand on your shoulder, or something of that nature, but unnecessary contact with a game official – it's Rule 12-3-1-E – covers unnecessary contact with a game official."

Per Monarrez, Rule 12-3-1-E reads: 

“Unnecessary physical contact with a game official. Under no circumstance is a player allowed to shove, push, or strike an official in an offensive, disrespectful, or unsportsmanlike manner. The player shall be disqualified from the game.”

When asked by the pool reporter if it mattered whether Collins was trying to explain the previous play, Kemp, who is in his sixth season officiating in the NFL, was steadfast in his judgment.

“I judged it as unnecessary, so I called a foul,” he said. “I decided to eject the player.”

DEC Management, Collins' agency, responded to the call in a tweet Sunday (warning: NSFW language): 

Collins, 30, joined the Lions on a three-year, $30 million deal this offseason. In 2019, he collected 81 tackles (10 for loss), seven sacks, 10 quarterback hits, three interceptions, three forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery in his second stint with New England.

Through eight seasons in the league, he had never been disqualified from a game before Sunday.