As a result of the failure the Baltimore Ravens will be fined $100,000. For instance, they lied about quarterback Lamar Jackson’s attendance at practice leading up to their game against the Chicago Bears. This decision comes on the heels of an investigation found discriminatory practices. It specifically examined how the team handled Jackson’s right hamstring injury, which he had sustained earlier in the season.
Ahead of game, Jackson had played in practices on Wednesday and Thursday. He was still listed as a limited participant. On Friday, he was upgraded to a full participant, meaning he was probably on track to play. Though hopeful as always, Jackson was still ruled out of the game. As a response, Tyler Huntley came in and immediately took over the reins as the starting quarterback.
The controversy arose when it was discovered that the Ravens had listed Jackson as a full participant for an October 24 practice. Later it came out that he had literally only practiced on the day of with the scout team. The NFL discovered that this misrepresentation was a breach of the league’s player injury reporting policies.
In response to the fine, the Ravens released a statement taking responsibility for their actions. Most importantly, they both focused on the power of integrity and what it means to the way they operate. They promised to abide by NFL guidelines in the future.
“It is critical that the Baltimore Ravens always operate with integrity and in full accordance with NFL guidelines. We clearly made an error regarding player injury reporting and cooperated transparently with the league’s investigation. We accept the decision by the NFL that we violated the policy and have taken steps to ensure that we will be compliant moving forward.” – Baltimore Ravens
The NFL’s investigation concluded that the Ravens’ actions were negligent rather than an attempt to gain a competitive edge. As a result, Baltimore will avoid the loss of a draft pick as the part of the team’s disciplinary action. In response, the league did not acknowledge the seriousness of the league’s misrepresentation. They found that this was due to lack of diligence—not potential evil-doing on their part.
During this entire process, the Ravens have been open and forthcoming with the NFL’s investigation. Per league sources, this collaboration was a huge factor in lessening the impact and punishment to the club.
Speculation on their Super Bowl prospects has begun to swirl. Jackson’s health was just one issue, but even analysts like Stephen A. Smith are now criticizing the focus on areas of concern. He pointed out that team defense could be an even bigger factor in determining their playoff hopes.
“Like I said early in the week, we were preparing for Lamar, and then when we found out he wasn’t playing, then we get ready for the next guy.” – Ben Johnson
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