NFL imposes hefty fine on Ravens without suspension for Lamar Jackson after controversial injury report

The NFL has fined the Baltimore Ravens $100,000 for incorrectly reporting that Lamar Jackson had been a full participant in practice on the Friday before their game against the Bears. In reality, the quarterback hadn’t taken full reps with the first team; he only ran the scout team and, as a result of not being fully healthy, was unable to face Chicago.

Adam Schefter provided more details about the controversial situation with the injury report. “The NFL believes the violation was the result of negligence, not an attempt to gain a competitive advantage. If the investigation had determined the violation was intentional or competitive in nature, the discipline would have been more significant, including the potential loss of draft picks. The Ravens cooperated fully with the investigation.”

Over the past few days, rumors suggested that the Ravens could lose draft picks, but as John Harbaugh had hinted in his statements, the situation appeared to be an honest mistake. The head coach even said it might have been a PR issue. Now, the NFL has finally issued its verdict.

Did Lamar Jackson have an injury?

Yes. Lamar Jackson suffered a hamstring injury that prevented him from practicing as a full participant with the first team before the game against the Bears, and two days later, it led to him being officially ruled out.

The star quarterback had to continue resting and only returned this Thursday in the Ravens’ convincing 28-6 victory over the Dolphins. By the way, since he was not at fault for the team’s communication on his injury report, Lamar was never at risk of being individually penalized with a fine or suspension.

The Ravens won’t appeal and have accepted the sanction through an official statement. “It is critical that the Baltimore Ravens always operate with integrity and in full accordance with NFL guidelines. We clearly made an error regarding player injury reporting and cooperated transparently with the league’s investigation. We accept the decision by the NFL that we violated the policy and have taken steps to ensure that we will be compliant moving forward. We will not appeal the ruling and are focused on our upcoming game versus the Vikings.”

see also

NFL confirms punishment for Patrick Mahomes’ star teammate with hefty fine after Chiefs win against Raiders