The NFL came down hard on the Baltimore Ravens, but not as hard as it could have over a violation of the league’s injury report policy put the franchise in the crosshairs.
The punishment — a $100,000 fine — came after a weeklong investigation into how 2-time NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson was listed on the injury report before a Week 8 game against the Chicago Bears.
“The NFL has fined the Ravens $100,000 for violating the league’s Injury Report Policy by incorrectly listing quarterback Lamar Jackson’s practice participation status on Friday, October 24, the league confirmed today,” NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport wrote on his official X account on October 31. ” … The Ravens fully cooperated with the investigation, which the league determined was the result of negligence and 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 snapped a 4-game losing streak against the Bears with Tyler Huntley, not Jackson, starting at quarterback.
Baltimore won its second consecutive game in Week 9 against the Miami Dolphins with Jackson back in the lineup after missing 3 consecutive games with a hamstring injury.
Ravens Avoided Worse Punishment by NFL
While it’s bad the Ravens got fined, they avoided the worse and way more embarrassing punishment of losing draft picks.
While Ravens head coach John Harbaugh denied any wrongdoing over Jackson being listed as a full participant but only taking scout team reps on the Friday before a Sunday game, it was hard to see that from the Bears perspective.
“It really is an honest mistake,” Harbaugh told ESPN’s Jamison Hensley on October 26. “I can tell you this: Nobody’s trying to hide anything. There’s no advantage to be gained with that.”
NFL Takes Injury Report Violations Seriously
While the competitive aspect of filing injury reports is one thing, the real impact would have been felt in the arena of legal gambling.
Something like Jackson playing in a game vs. him not playing would have caused a fluctuation of millions of dollars in betting. With Jackson presumed to be out of the lineup, the Bears were favored by 5.5 points — a line that went to 1.5 points when the injury report showed Jackson was going to be back in the lineup.
In 2023, former Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith was fined $25,000 and the team was fined $75,000 over an incident with running back Bijan Robinson.
In 2019, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was fined $25,000 and the team fined $75,000 for a similar injury report incident with former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
“NFL bettors are expected to wager approximately $30 billion on the league this season with legal sportsbooks in the United States,” ESPN’s David Purdum wrote on August 28. ” … The $30 billion figure is approximately an 8.5% increase from a revised estimate of $27.5 billion last year … The amount includes money bet on futures wagers, such as the odds to win the Super Bowl, and individual games from the preseason through Super Bowl LX, but only at traditional sportsbooks in the U.S.”
NFL Makes Final Decision on Punishment for Ravens