The struggling Denver Broncos finally regained their footing and secured four straight wins up until their Week 12 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings. Nevertheless, Vikings safety Kareem Jackson perhaps still can’t satisfy his winning thrust, leading him to exert physical power more acutely to halt the players of the rival teams.
In spite of being warned and suspended this season for his roughness and rowdiness on the field, Jackson was again caught by the NFL for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
Kareem Jackson was suspended for Joshua Dobbs’ hit
During the first drive of the Week 11 game, Kareem Jackson intentionally lowered his helmet and hit Vikings quarterback Josh Dobbs under his chin. Per Rule 12, Section 2, and Article 10(a) of the NFL, it’s a clear and gruesome tactic to injure a rival player, presenting him as a bad guy in fans’ eyes.
On Monday, the NFL let the player know the consequence of his illicit act by suspending him for four games without pay.
The league has continuously presented itself as concerned with its players’s on-field safety. Soon after the declaration, NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan made it plain again in a statement.
“Illegal acts that are flagrant and jeopardize the safety of players will not be tolerated. The League will continue to stress enforcement of the rules that prohibit using your helmet to make forcible contact with your opponent. You had time and space to avoid such contact. You could have made contact with your opponent within the rules, yet you chose not to.”
Week 7 saw the same scenario from the safety when he lowered his helmet and delivered a powerful shot to Green Bay Packers tight end Luke Musgrave. Musgrave couldn’t continue his play following the blow, and the league handed him a four-game suspension. At that, he was lucky enough to get support from the league, as his suspension was reduced to two games after an appeal.
How much money is Kareem Jackson to lose from suspension?
Kareem Jackson is not going to get out of this suspension with a shot in his bank account. The Broncos player will lose $559,889 in pay if the current four-game punishment is enforced, according to ABC News. Before receiving a reduced sentence for Week 7, the Broncos player was fined a total of $89,670 by the NFL for four different roughness infractions.
In spite of his direct and intentional hit, Kareem Jackson was not flagged during the play. Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell confronted questions regarding his boy’s conduct, and the coach shared a mixed opinion, expressing himself in darkness regarding Jackson’s play.
“On the field, it felt like that. I’ll have to go back and look at it. It tends to happen pretty fast out there, but in the moment, coming from the second level the way he did, it seemed like a pretty direct helmet-to-helmet type hit. But I’m sure [officials] saw it differently on the play. They’re officiating a fast play right there.”
Reportedly, Jackson is considering appealing the suspension on Monday night. Let’s see whether the league reconsiders his suspension and lets him get more power to injure the rivals’ players.