It appears to be a short lived return to NFL action for 14 year NFL veteran Kareem Jackson, as the NFL announced that it would be suspending the safety for 4 games without pay following his hit on Vikings QB Joshua Dobbs.
Less than two minutes into Sunday’s 21-20 win over Minnesota, Jackson lowered his helmet and hit Dobbs high, momentarily stunning the Vikings quarterback. Dobbs was forced to undergo an in game concussion check as a result of the hit, but ultimately remained in the game. There was no flag thrown on the play, however Sunday Night Football rules analyst Terry McAulay indicated that there should have been one.
The tackle was the first one from Jackson since he returned from his latest suspension, which came as a result of several early season plays where he hit players in the head/neck region, or used his helmet as the point of contact. Jackson was previously issued a multi-game ban without pay, but saw his penalty reduced to only 2 games after appeal.
NFL VP of Football Operations Jon Runyan issued the following statement with regards to the hit: “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.”
Opponents have called Jackson’s play throughout 2023 “reckless” and dangerous. However not all players were so quick to condemn the play on Sunday. Teammates Patrick Surtain and Justin Simmons took to social media to voice their displeasure with the ruling in the aftermath of the announcement.
“This league something else lmao! How you supposed to play ball nowadays?” Surtain said on his social media feed. “This is unbelievable. Dobbs on this play was playing running back. The TE was under centre, 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?” echoed fellow safety Simmons.
Jackson will be eligible to return to the Broncos’ active roster following the team’s Week 15 game against the Detroit Lions. He’ll also be able to appeal the ban and have a hearing overseen by NFL/NFLPA officers Derrick Brooks or James Thrash.
Denver is next in action Sunday November 26th vs. the Cleveland Browns in an AFC showdown with huge playoff implications for both clubs.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.