The Baltimore Ravens have suspended wide receiver Deonta Johnson for one game for “conduct detrimental to the team,” the team announced Wednesday afternoon.
Johnson will serve the suspension during their Dec. 15 game against the New York Giants, which comes after their bye this week. He will be eligible to return for their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 21.
The issue came after Johnson refused to enter their game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, the team said in a statement.
“We have made the difficult decision to suspend Deontay Johnson for conduct detrimental to the team in our upcoming game against the New York Giants,” Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said in a statement. “Diontae’s suspension is due to his refusal to enter our game against the Philadelphia Eagles. We will have no further comment on this matter.”
It was unclear why Johnson didn’t play in the 24-19 loss, even though he didn’t take a snap. Johnson, who started the season with the Carolina Panthers, has just one catch for six yards in his four games with the team.
The Ravens landed Johnson and a future sixth-round draft pick in a deal with the Panthers before the trade deadline last month. The 28-year-old — who started with the Pittsburgh Steelers after they selected him in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft — led the Panthers in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches before being traded.
“At this point, I’ll have to wait to make it clear,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said of Johnson on Monday, via ESPN. “There are some moving parts that we have to figure out and explore and see where we’re at. I know that’s not the answer you want, but it’s the best I can do in fairness to everybody right now.”
Johnson is in the final year of a contract extension with the Steelers. The Ravens are set to pay Johnson around $625,000, and he will hit free agency this coming offseason.
The Ravens sit at 8-5 after Sunday’s loss to Philadelphia, which marked their second loss in their last three games. They enter the bye week sitting in second place in the AFC North standings and are currently projected to secure one of the final wild-card spots in the AFC.
