Baltimore Ravens starting quarterback Lamar Jackson apologized for pushing a fan during Week 1’s matchup against the Buffalo Bills. The Bills fan, who is now banned from attending games, shoving Ravens wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins before doing the same to Jackson. Lamar, however, retaliated amidst Baltimore’s touchdown celebration in Sunday’s 41-40 loss.
While the NFL looked into the matter, the Ravens conducted an internal investigation, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“Our players’ safety is of the utmost importance,” said a Ravens official. “We have spoken to Lamar, who understands the impact of the situation, about the incident. “While we will keep internal matters private, we have implemented additional security protocols – both at home and on the road – to better protect our players and handle negative fan interactions moving forward.”
The NFL announced Jackson will not be fined for the altercation, as Schefter noted, per NFL official Brian McCarthy.
“The matter has been addressed by the club, and there is no further action from the league,” McCarthy said.
The Bills fan is banned from all NFL stadiums for making physical contact with Hopkins and Jackson on Sunday.
Lamar Jackson apologizes to Bills fan after Ravens loss
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson apologized to the Bills fan for retaliating over a shove in the back of the end zone of Sunday’s 41-40 loss to the Bills. While fans can cross the line amid their enthusiasm toward the game, Jackson offered a piece of advice: words are fine, but keep your hands to yourself, he said, per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley.
“It just happened. I got pushed, and I was like, what? I wasn’t even thinking about being out there on the field. My apologies to him,” Jackson explained before offering the advice.
“Just chill next time,” Jackson said. “You can talk trash and stuff, but keep your hands to yourself,” he added after practice.
Unfortunately, there won’t be a next time for the aggressive Bills fan. However, perhaps it’s a lesson learned for when or if the fan plans on attending other future sporting events outside of the NFL.
Jackson says he’s never seen that kind of behavior from his own Ravens fans.
“I’ve never seen any of our fans do that to an opposing team,” Jackson said. “Just keep it football.”
The Ravens will host the Browns in Week 2 on Sunday.
