
The Denver Broncos‘ Kareem Jackson has been suspended by the NFL for four games after being found guilty of several unnecessary roughness infractions, the most recent of which happened during the Broncos’ Week 7 victory over the Green Bay Packers.
After hitting Packers tight end Luke Musgrave in the face illegally on Sunday, Jackson was dismissed from the contest.
A player commits a foul, according to NFL regulations, “if he intentionally strikes the defenseless player in the head or neck area with his helmet, facemask, forearm, or shoulder.”
When Musgrave came down with the ball after a grab and turned right into the path of Jackson, that lowered his helmet and delivered a hard blow, the play in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game was called “defenseless.”
This was Jackson’s second ejection of the year; in Week 2, he was also dismissed from the contest after hitting Washington Commanders tight end Logan Thomas in the end zone. Thomas was eventually removed from the contest owing to a concussion brought on by the accident, the Commanders later revealed.
Prior to the altercation on Sunday, the league fined the 35-year-old Jackson a total of $89,670 for four separate roughness infractions.
Jackson has been suspended by the NFL for four games, according to a statement from the league. Denver safety Jon Runyan received a letter from Runyan, the NFL’s vice president of football operations, announcing the suspension.
“On the play in question, you executed a forceful blow to the head/neck area of a defenseless receiver, even though you had the time and space to avoid such contact,” Runyan said in his report. “You had a legal opportunity to make contact with your opponent, but you chose not to.”
Runyan added that Jackson’s prior infractions—personal fouls committed this season in violation of regulations relating to player safety—were a contributing factor in his suspension.
Despite the authorities’ lack of tolerance for Jackson’s acts, some have backed him and think the four-game suspension is excessive, including former cornerback Richard Sherman, a five-time All-Pro.
“Things are starting to spiral out of control! Sherman wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, “This is a clean hit and plainly he’s even trying to move his body at the end to make sure it’s a shoulder hit.
“STOP this narrative that these are somehow “dirty” hits,” I told them. “The body is led by your head so regardless of what it will appear he’s leading with his head.”
Jackson can challenge the ban in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement for the NFL, but if it is maintained, he would miss his team’s next four games against the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, and Minnesota Vikings.