The Chargers' Jim Harbaugh disappointed NFL-suspended Derwin James

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters Wednesday he was disappointed and disagreed with the NFL's decision to suspend safety Derwin James Jr. for Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs .

James was suspended for a hit on Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth in the third quarter of Los Angeles' 20-10 loss last Sunday. James was charged with unnecessary roughness during the game. Harbaugh said Freiermuth's positioning caused James' illegal hit.

“There was no defenseless player; [he] “I changed his course and I thought that Derwin's helmet had been stiffened by Mr. Freiermuth,” he said. “That's what I thought [the stiff-arm] caused his head to make contact and I thought the contact was first with his forearm, then his shoulder, then his head.

Harbaugh said James' tackling seemed to be exactly what the league was looking for when it came to “taking your head out of the game.”

“You can never really take the head out of the game because it’s between the two shoulders,” he said. “He tries to tackle with his shoulder, now with his head and the helmets that go with it. It lies between the two shoulders. So he tries to do that within the limits of his human abilities.”

James has suffered seven unnecessary roughness penalties since entering the NFL in 2018, the second-most in the league during that span. Harbaugh said James made a concerted effort to avoid these penalties, often allowing extra yards in games because he braced himself before hits to avoid flags.

“He reached out to officials on his own initiative last summer to better understand how they wanted to implement it,” Harbaugh said. “And the proof is right there on the tape. I mean, look at all of his 20+ tackles this season and he's doing his best…so he can't hurt another player or hit them in the head. So “yes, I’m disappointed.”

Harbaugh said James “really doesn't want to hurt anyone” and he wasn't mad at his player.

In the NFL's announcement, Jon Runyan, vice president of football operations, wrote that video showed James lowering his head when the hit occurred, causing illegal, forceful contact with his helmet that James could have avoided.

“Your continued disregard for the NFL rules of the game will not be tolerated,” Runyan wrote. “Significant penalties are warranted when players repeatedly violate player safety rules, particularly when the violations involve a significant risk of injury to an opposing player.”

James appealed the suspension, but it was upheld by hearing officer Derrick Brooks, who is jointly appointed by the NFL and the NFL Players' Association.

The Chargers' backup safeties include Elijah Molden and AJ Finley. Molden had an interception that earned him a game ball in the Chargers' Week 2 win over the Carolina Panthers.