The NFL has taken disciplinary action against Derwin James, safety for the Los Angeles Chargers.

James received a one-game suspension without pay due to multiple infringements of rules designed to ensure player safety, as announced by the league on Monday.

The latest incident took place in the third quarter during the Chargers’ 20-10 defeat against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In that moment, James lowered his head and made what the NFL classified as “forcible contact” with Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth.

This action resulted in James being penalized for unnecessary roughness.

Last season, the three-time Pro Bowler faced several unnecessary roughness penalties.

In a letter to James, NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan commented, “You had a clear path to your opponent and could have avoided the illegal contact. Your repeated failure to follow NFL rules will not be overlooked. Severe penalties are appropriate when players consistently violate safety regulations, especially those with a high risk of injuring another player.”

With 21 tackles so far this season, James has recorded at least 115 tackles in each of the last three seasons.

James will be eligible to play again on Monday, September 30, after the Chargers’ Week 4 match against the Kansas City Chiefs.

It is anticipated that James will challenge his one-game suspension, according to a source familiar with the situation who spoke anonymously as they are not authorized to comment publicly.

For Week 4, the Chargers may be without several key players. After their loss in Pittsburgh, the team ended up with multiple injuries: quarterback Justin Herbert aggravated his ankle issue, left tackle Rashawn Slater injured his pectoral muscle, rookie right tackle Joe Alt sustained a knee injury, and outside linebacker Joey Bosa faced a hip injury.

The Chargers will have a bye week in Week 5.

Follow YSL News Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.