Washington’s Daron Payne says he, Jonathan Allen ‘all is well’ after ‘brother disagreement’ over Cowboys game

The temples flared up during a “Sunday Night Football” game between Washington and the Cowboys – not between the teams.

The cameras caught Washington teammates Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen in a scuffle on the sidelines following the Dallas score that took the Cowboys to 28-7 in the second quarter. Payne, who was standing, was seen poking his index finger into Allen’s temple, causing him to stop and perform a swing at his teammate. The two were separated by coach Sam Mills III.

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NBC sideline reporter Michele Tafoya reported during the match that it was uncertain what caused the altercation between Payne and Allen, although she said Payne was “extremely angry” at Allen. Payne, speaking to reporters after the game – a 56-14 win for the Cowboys – said both were “good,” but offered little explanation as to what sparked the disagreement.

“It was just a little brotherly disagreement,” Payne told reporters after the game. “Maybe in the wrong place at the wrong time, but it happened. It is what it is.”

Payne was then asked to clarify what was causing the disagreement, but he refused. He said the two made up just by playing ball again (the two were seen standing side by side along Washington’s defense after the scuffle).

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Payne was asked what caused the brawl to break out, as it was the first time it had happened so noticeably in a game and considers the two to be college teammates at Alabama in 2015 and 16.

“I mean, you guys have brothers? You’re going to fight right?” Payne said. “S — didn’t happen.”

Payne was then asked if something like this had happened before, to which he replied, “I mean, I have a lot of brothers.”

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Here is Payne’s explanation of the incident (warning – explicit language used):

Washington coach Ron Rivera also discussed the brawl after the game, saying he didn’t know about it until it happened. He said he spoke to both players, declining to reveal what they discussed. No penalty will be imposed by Washington as a result of the scuffle.

Washington returns to action Sunday against the Eagles before wrapping up the regular season against the Giants. With the loss, Washington now has about a 5% chance of making it to the NFL knockouts.