Denver Broncos safely Kareem Jackson is back in the dog house.
Jackson was suspended for four games on Monday for his hit on Minnesota Vikings quarterback Josh Dobbs in Sunday’s win.
It’s Jackson’s second suspension in as many months and the NFL appeared to bring the hammer down on him for the incident that happened two minutes into the game.
The safety, in his fifth season with the Broncos, lowered his helmet to make the hit on Dobbs, who lined up as a running back on the play.
It was Jackson’s first tackle since returning from a previous suspension.
Jackson will be suspended without pay, but he does plan to appeal it, according to ESPN.
Jackson was notified by NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan of the suspension.
“With 13:38 remaining in the first quarter, you were involved in a play that the League considers a serious violation of the playing rules,” Runyan wrote in a letter to Jackson. “The video of the play shows that you lowered your head and made forcible contact to Vikings quarterback Josh Dobbs. You had an unobstructed path to your opponent and the illegal contact could have been avoided.
“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. On the play in question, you lowered your head and delivered a forceful blow to the shoulder and head/neck area of an opponent when 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.”
No penalty was assessed on the play during the game.
And Jackson told Denver7 after the game “I don’t know what to expect” when asked if he was worried about a possible suspension by the league.
But Jackson has had a bit of a history this season when it comes to player safety.
He was suspended four games earlier in the year for a hit on Green Bay Packers tight end Luke Musgrave, but the penalty was reduced to two games on appeal.
He’s also been fined four times for unnecessary roughness this year and ejected from two games.
It’s led to a bit of a reputation that Jackson is a dirty player, which is one his teammates have pushed back on.
Following the announcement of the suspension on Monday, teammate Justin Simmons came to Jackson’s defense on social media.
“This is unbelievable. Dobbs on this play was playing running back,” Simmons wrote on X. “The TE was under center, snapped the ball and tossed it back to Dobbs who isn’t defenseless. On a 3rd and 1, where you’re fighting for every yard, how are we supposed to stop a runner from falling forward?”
Read more
