Nov. 29 (UPI) -- Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Trysten Hill was suspended without pay for two games Monday after punching Las Vegas Raiders offensive lineman John Simpson following the Cowboys' Thanksgiving Day loss to the Raiders.
Jon Runyan, the NFL's vice president of football operations, issued the two-game suspension for violations of the league's unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct rules.
"After the Las Vegas Raiders-Dallas Cowboys game on November 25, you engaged in conduct that this office considers unnecessary roughness and displays a lack of sportsmanship," Runyan wrote in a letter to Hill. "Specifically, as both teams were shaking hands, you waited more than 50 seconds for your opponent at the 50-yard line.
"When you located him, you then walked toward him in the opposite direction of your locker room. You both engaged in a verbal chest-to-chest confrontation which you escalated by throwing an open hand punch to his facemask, forcible enough to cause your opponent's helmet to come off."
ESPN reported that Hill is appealing the suspension. Derrick Brooks or James Thrash, who are jointly appointed and paid by the NFL and its players' union, will provide a ruling on Hill's appeal.
If Hill's suspension is upheld, he would be eligible to return to the Cowboys' active roster Dec. 13. He would miss games against the New Orleans Saints on Thursday and against the Washington Football Team on Dec. 12.
In three games this season, Hill has notched eight total tackles and one stuff.