Broncos safety Kareem Jackson was ejected from a game for the second time this year on Sunday and he’ll be missing the next four games as well.
The NFL announced that Jackson has been suspended for games for unnecessary roughness violations. He was ejected for a hit on Packers tight end Luke Musgrave Sunday.
“On the play in question, you delivered a forceful blow to the head/neck area of a defenseless receiver, when you had the time and space to avoid such contact. You could have made contact with your opponent within the rules, yet you chose not to,” NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan said in a letter to Jackson.
Runyan also cited Jackson’s Week Two disqualification for a hit on Commanders tight end Logan Thomas. That drew one of four fines Jackson has received this season and head coach Sean Payton said on Monday that the team will keep working with him on avoiding future infractions.
“In regard to Kareem’s hit, it’s — I’ve sat on this committee, the Competition Committee — for a number of years,” Payton said. “We’re constantly trying to work with and educate the players. There are times when pad levels drop. I know [S] Kareem [Jackson], I know his heart and I know the way he’s played. I think it’s an easy narrative to say, ‘Well he’s just an old-timer playing in a new-timer’s game.’ When you see the play, his head is removed from the forceable contact. Defenseless is a little bit more of an issue relative to the position the receiver’s in. I just know where he’s at as a player. We’ll keep working on that. I know he’ll keep working on it. He’s someone that’s smart and really wants to do the right thing.”
Jackson will miss games against the Chiefs, Bills, Vikings, and Browns before becoming eligible to return.
