LOS ANGELES — Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman’s two-game suspension for “repeated violations of playing rules intended to protect the health and safety of players” was upheld by hearing officer Jordy Nelson on Tuesday.
The decision by Nelson, who was jointly appointed by the NFL and the NFLPA, came a day after the league announced it was suspending Perryman for two games without pay, citing multiple rules violations, including in the Chargers’ win against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. In that game, Perryman was flagged for unnecessary roughness in the second quarter after delivering a helmet-to-helmet hit on Cowboys wide receiver Ryan Flournoy, who was on the ground after making a catch.
Perryman remained in the game and finished with six tackles, second most on the team.
“I thought he was trying to go over the tackle and over the ball carrier,” coach Jim Harbaugh said Monday.
Perryman is eligible to return to the Chargers’ active roster on Monday, Jan. 5, following the team’s final two regular-season games against the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos.
The suspension comes at a critical point in Los Angeles’ season. The Chargers have already clinched a playoff spot, but with wins in their final two games, they would win the AFC West for the first time since 2009 and would host a playoff game.
Perryman is the team’s best run-defending linebacker. With him out, the Chargers will lean on linebacker Troy Dye, while Marlowe Wax and Del’Shawn Phillips also could see time.
Perryman was also suspended in 2023 after a helmet-to-helmet hit on Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, which also resulted in an unnecessary roughness penalty. He has been fined twice for illegal hits using his helmet.