Two Baltimore Ravens stars were in the middle of what could have been an ugly scene in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills, and it didn’t take long for discipline to come down.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins were shoved by a Bills fan during the “Sunday Night Football” opener, actions that prompted Jackson to shove the fan back. According to the Bills, via ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the fan was ejected and has been indefinitely banned not only from Highmark Stadium in Buffalo but all NFL stadiums.
Fan Who Shoved Hopkins, Jackson Gets Heavy Punishment
As you can see in the video, the fan in the red Bills jersey shoved Hopkins in the head, and then in the second angle, the same fan stiff-arms Jackson right in the facemask.
That second shove caused Jackson to go back at the fan, an action for which Jackson expressed regret after the game.
“I (saw) him slap (Hopkins), but I wasn’t really … He slapped me, he’s saying — he was talking — so I just forgot where I was for a little bit,” Jackson explained after the game in his press conference. “You have to think in those situations. You have security out there; let security handle it, but I just let my emotions get the best of me. Hopefully, it doesn’t happen again. I learned from that.”
Whether that lesson is enough is now up to the NFL. Jackson could potentially face discipline from the NFL. Even though the fan instigated, the league probably doesn’t look too kindly on a two-time MVP winner two-hand shoving a fan regardless of the circumstance. That said, there’s no indication the league does plan to discipline Jackson, and he clearly was defending himself regardless of optics.
Will Jackson Face Discipline for Retaliation?
“I mean, it’s certainly possible he’ll hear from the league. It’s possible that they’ll issue some sort of discipline — I hope not,” CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones said the morning the after the game on CBS Sports HQ. I hope what it is a message to Lamar like ‘Hey, saw what you did, get why you did it, don’t do it again.’ Just let him off with a warning is what I hope the NFL ultimately does. I would be surprised if the NFL issues a form of discipline or punishment that results in a fine — we’re not talking suspension or anything like that.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh was asked whether the league had reached out about the incident. He indicated they haven’t and went to bat for his player in the process.
“I have not heard from the league,” he told reporters, per The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec. “Lamar is down there celebrating a TD with your teammates just like you’re supposed to do. You score a TD, you probably shouldn’t have a frozen water bottle thrown at you either.”
The fan, who has not been identified, could still be looking at more problems. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio noted there’s precedence for legal action for such an incident.
“Charges aren’t without precedent,” Florio wrote on PFT. In 2018, a Patriots fan who threw a beer on then-Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill was charged with disorderly conduct.
Fan Who Shoved DeAndre Hopkins, Lamar Jackson Gets Heavy Punishment