Lamar Jackson Escapes Sanction for Incident with Fan
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson will not face sanctions from the NFL following the altercation with a Buffalo Bills fan during the season opener, which ended in a 41-40 loss. A league spokesperson confirmed this on Thursday. “The matter was addressed by the club and there will be no further action by the league,” stated Brian McCarthy, NFL spokesperson. The incident occurred on Sunday night, when Jackson was celebrating with his teammates near the front row of Highmark Stadium after throwing a 29-yard touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins in the third quarter. A fan, wearing a red Bills jersey, initially hit Hopkins on the helmet before doing the same to Jackson, who responded by pushing the fan with both hands, causing him to fall backward. The fan was ejected from the stadium that same night. In addition, a team official reported that the fan has been “indefinitely banned from Bills and NFL stadiums”. On Wednesday, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta spoke extensively with Jackson. The team seeks to prevent future similar incidents. “The safety of our players is of the utmost importance,” said a Ravens official. “We have spoken with Lamar, who understands the impact of the situation, about the incident.” In addition, additional security protocols were implemented both at home and away to better protect the players and handle negative interactions with fans in the future. In his weekly media session, Jackson apologized to the fan and suggested: “Next time, relax. You can talk trash, but keep your hands still.” Approximately 10 minutes after the Jackson incident, Ravens running back Derrick Henry was nearly struck by a frozen water bottle in the end zone, at the other end of the stadium, following his 29-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.“Things like that shouldn’t be happening. This isn’t the WWE,” Jackson said. “We’re playing football here. So keep it in football. I know guys are going to talk trash. I know the opposing team is going to talk trash. Let it stay like that. But keep your hands and your objects to yourselves.”
Lamar Jackson
