NFL Suspends Tre'von Moehrig For Nutty Way He Punched Jauan Jennings

NFL players punching each other in the nuts has been going on for decades. Punching, pinching, biting, all of it has happened in pile-ups and sometimes later discussed in the privacy of the locker room because there are plenty of politically incorrect and even funny stories that circulate in that safe space.

But the NFL doesn't think it's funny.

Tre'von Moehrig Sits One Game

And the football field, in front of a dozen cameras, is not the place for that behavior. That's why Carolina safety Tre'von Moehrig has been suspended by the league for one game without pay.

Moehrig, you see, punched San Francisco 49ers receiver Jauan Jennings right in his family jewels on Monday night. And it was caught on camera for a national television audience to witness.

Yes, ESPN played the moment in slow motion.

"During the fourth quarter, Moehrig punched San Francisco wide receiver Jauan Jennings at the end of a play, violating Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1, which applies to ‘any act which is contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship,’ including, among others, ‘throwing a punch, or a forearm, or kicking at an opponent,’ " the league announced on Tuesday.

Moehrig will be eligible to return to the Panthers' active roster on Monday, Dec. 1, following the team's Nov. 30 game against the Los Angeles Rams.

Moehrig Expected To Appeal Suspension

Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Moehrig may appeal the suspension, and he is expected to avail himself of that right, per a source.

(Good luck with that. The video evidence clearly shows the punch to Jennings' nether regions. And while Moehrig's representatives may argue the Panthers' safety was somehow provoked, the NFL's stance is usually that there are other ways to respond when provoked – and punching a guy in his gonads is not one of them.)

Moehring's appeal will be heard and decided upon by either Derrick Brooks, Ramon Foster, or Jordy Nelson, the hearing officers jointly appointed and compensated by the NFL and NFLPA to decide appeals of on-field player discipline.

And now a paid political announcement:

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: Brock Purdy #13 of the San Francisco 49ers avoids pressure by Tre’von Moehrig #7 of the Carolina Panthers during the second quarter of an NFL football game at Levi's Stadium on November 24, 2025 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)

Something Amiss With Some Players

What is up with some of these NFL players? I mean, have they lost their minds?

Or have they merely lost their sense of sportsmanship and manhood and what is right and wrong?

Already this season, the NFL has had to issue sanctions for two players – Jalen Carter of the Philadelphia Eagles and Ja'Marr Chase of the Cincinnait Bengals – for spitting at an opponent.

Chase actually denied he ever spit on Pittsburgh's Jalen Ramsey despite ample video evidence that he did. And, yes, he eventually apologized. But at his press conference on Tuesday, he took a defiant attitude that suggested he'd do it again if necessary.

This is not the way. And why hasn't that lesson been learned when Chase and others were, like, nine or 10?

Amid this lack of sportsmanship and, frankly, manhood, we got the Moehrig sock to the spheres. 

Kyle Shanahan: ‘Cheap Shot’

"Yeah the guy took a cheap shot and hit him in the balls," 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan explained to reporters after the game. "I was real proud of Jauan for not losing his mind out there."

Can you imagine the reaction in the NFL office after having to listen to one of the league's coaches having to give a play-by-play account on one of his players getting punched "in the balls?"

Carolina coach Dave Canales similarly had to answer for the incident. He was asked Monday afternoon about his player's misdeed.

"He and I had a good conversation, we'll keep all those things private," Canales said.

Canales declined to expand on the matter further.

Of course. Because it's embarrassing. It's not what any coach teaches. It's not what one professional should be doing to another.

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: Jauan Jennings #15 of the San Francisco 49ers is separated from Tre'von Moehrig #7 of the Carolina Panthers after the game at Levi's Stadium on November 24, 2025 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Jennings Retaliated Postgame

And,  I note, that when Jennings did eventually seek payback and went after Moehrig after the game was over, he hit hit/pushed the Carolina player above the waist.

My guess is the NFL, which is trying to rein in unsportsmanlike conduct this season, will be sending out a memo to coaches asking them to remind players, again, not to spit on opponents. And not to punch them in the nuts.

Because, beyond it not being right, it's kind of cowardly in a game setting. 

Barroom brawl? No. Do what you have to do to survive.

NFL setting? Be a professional.