Kansas City’s Harris gets one-game ban

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Demetrius Harris was suspended one game without pay by the National Football League on Tuesday for violating its substance abuse policy.

Harris pleaded guilty in March in Bates County, Miss., to one count of marijuana possession and one count of unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. He was sentenced to two days in jail, fined $500 and given two years of probation along with 80 hours of community service.

Harris also must complete an NFL drug program.

The 26-year-old Harris has been the backup to Travis Kelce, though he’s been relatively disappointing since the Chiefs drafted the college basketball player out of UW-Milwaukee.

Harris has played four seasons in Kansas City and last season set career highs with 18 catches and 224 yards.

Helmet hits will lead to ejections: The NFL has passed a new rule for this season that says any player who initiates contact with his helmet is subject to ejection after an in-game video review that will be decided in New York.

Al Riveron, the league’s head of officiating, said a foul can be called regardless of where on the body — not just the head or neck area — that one player hits another with his helmet. The rule is not position-specific, so offensive players will be subject to the same criteria as defensive players.

“This is about eliminating unnecessary use of the helmet,” Riveron said.

If a player is ejected, Riveron and his staff in New York will use network camera angles to determine if the ejection is necessary. He promised that games will not become “an ejection fest” every week.

The rule applies to linemen, too. They can no longer lower their helmets to initiate contact.

Sale of Panthers approved: The NFL unanimously approved a $2.2 billion deal to sell the Carolina Panthers to the David Tepper.

Tepper is paying an NFL-record price to buy the team from Jerry Richardson, the team’s founder and only owner.