Getty Jacksonville Jaguars RB Leonard Fournette
While the scene involving Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette and Buffalo Bills defensive end Shaq Lawson turned ugly quick, it carried into the tunnel as well. After punches were thrown during an on-field scuffle, they continued jawing at each other after both had been ejected. Apparently, Bills fans didn’t exactly take kindly to Fournette getting them more riled up after the situation either.
As Bradley Gelber of the Bills Wire revealed (via Nick Lombardo), Fournette was seen taunting fans while going into the tunnel and eventually had a beer can thrown which hit him in the head.
*NOTE: Video has NSFW language
A #Bills fan captured this video of Shaq Lawson & Leonard Fournette entering the tunnel after their fight during yesterday’s game. It appears to show Fournette getting hit with a beer can.
Warning: language is NSFW.
(🎥: Nick Lombardo on FB)
As you can see, Fournette takes his helmet off after being hit, but he and Lawson are still involved in a shouting matchup as the two remain separated. The situation led to the NFL suspending the Jaguars running back for the Week 13, a decision which was upheld after his appeal.
Leonard Fournette’s Tough Season
While Fournette has missed the bulk of the season to this point due to a hamstring injury, he was finally able to return in November for a Week 10 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts. Prior to that game, the former No. 4 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft had totaled just 20 carries in two games for 71 yards, leaving both games due to injury.
The Jaguars’ top running back has received 70 carries in the three games since his return, and that number would be higher if not for his ejection in Week 12. While he averaged just 2.2 and 3.4 yards per carry over the first two games, he managed to find the end zone three times over that span. Fournette finally got rolling against the Bills, averaging 5.3 yards per carry on 18 carries with two scores prior to the fight.
Brutal Stretch for Jaguars & Big Change
Although the Jaguars entered the season with lofty expectations, they’ve come up short to this point. After a 3-1 start to the year, Jacksonville has now lost seven straight games, falling to 3-8 on the season. It’s gotten to the point where the struggles are so well-documented that the team opted to make a big change ahead of their Week 13 game against the Colts.
As ESPN’s Michael DiRocco revealed, the Jaguars have benched starting quarterback Blake Bortles in favor of Cody Kessler. The move, which was only somewhat surprising, will apparently also stick for the remainder of the season. With Jacksonville having little chance of making the postseason, it does make a fair amount of sense.
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