American flanker John Quill has been handed a three-game ban after being sent off for a dangerous tackle during his side's loss to England at the Rugby World Cup.
On Thursday, Quill became the first player to be sent off at the tournament when his shoulder made contact with the head of England's Owen Farrell in a no-arms tackle.
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American captain Blaine Scully tried to argue Quill was "pulling out of the tackle", but referee Nic Berry disagreed and pulled out the red card.
England went onto win the game 45-7.
Quill faced a disciplinary panel on Friday and admitted that he had committed foul play.
"The committee applied World Rugby's mandatory minimum mid-range entry point, which was introduced in 2017 to... protect player welfare, deter high contact and prevent head injuries," World Rugby said in a statement after the hearing.
"This resulted in a starting point of a six-week suspension.
"Having acknowledged Quill's good character and conduct at the hearing, the committee reduced the six-week entry point by three weeks, resulting in a sanction of three weeks, which equates to three matches in the context of the Rugby World Cup."
The United States are unlikely to advance to the knockout stage with three tier- one teams - England, France and Argentina - also in the pool and only two places available for the quarter-finals.
The decision means Quill misses the remainder of USA's pool games and will now return to the US.
Quill,29, is the first American to be red-carded at a Rugby World Cup and the 18th player in the tournament's history.
The Eagles next face France in Fukuoka on October 2 before they meet Argentina on October 9 and finish the pool phase against fellow tier-two side Tonga on October 13.
Meanwhile, Samoan hookerMotu Matu'u has been banned for three matches for his reckless high tackle against Russia.
His teammate Rey Lee-Lo also received a three-match ban for a similar offence in the same game.
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