Texans’ Denzel Perryman suspended 3 games after NFL deems hits illegal

Houston Texans defender Denzel Perryman will miss the next three games. The veteran linebacker was suspended for repeated violations of play safety rules during the Texans’ upset win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10, the NFL announced on Tuesday.

Perryman will not be paid during the three-game suspension. He is allowed to file an appeal.

The 30-year-old was penalized for unnecessary roughness after delivering a helmet-to-helmet hit on Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase in the fourth quarter.

“You were involved in a play that the league considers a serious violation of the playing rules,” Jon Runyan, NFL vice president of football operations, told Perryman in a letter. 

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Runyan also argued that Perryman did not have to deliver the forceful hit. 

“You lowered your head and delivered a forcible blow to the shoulder and then the head/neck area of the receiver. You had unobstructed path to your opponent and the illegal contact could have been avoided.”

Perryman has had six violations for similar personal fouls in his career. The league fined him earlier this season for his actions in a game against the Indianapolis Colts.

“When players violate the rules intended to protect player safety on a repeated basis, and particularly when the violations carry with them a significant risk of injury to an opposing player, it is appropriate to impose substantially greater penalties,” Runyan wrote.

Perryman won’t be eligible to return to the Texans’ active roster until Dec. 4. The Texans host the Denver Broncos on Dec. 3 and then travel to New Jersey for a Week 14 matchup with the New York Jets.

An appeal will be heard and decided by either Derrick Brooks or James Thrash, the hearing officers jointly appointed and compensated by the NFL and the Players Association to decide appeals of on-field player discipline.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.