The NFL fined the Baltimore Ravens $100,000 on Friday for violating the league’s injury report policy. The violation centered on the Ravens incorrectly listing quarterback Lamar Jackson as a full participant in practice when he only worked with the scout team. No individuals were fined, and no draft picks were lost.
Baltimore avoided the more serious penalties because the league determined the violation was the result of negligence and not an attempt to gain a competitive advantage, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Jackson was listed as limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday but was upgraded to a full participant on Friday. On Saturday, the Ravens announced that Jackson had actually been limited on Friday as well and was officially out for Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Jackson practiced with the scout team on Friday. According to the NFL’s injury report policy, he should have been classified as limited rather than full participation, regardless of how much work he did. The Ravens explained in a statement that they made the decision to change Jackson’s status “upon further evaluation today and after conferring with the league office, because Lamar didn’t take any starter reps in practice.”
The betting line on the Ravens-Bears game immediately shifted several points in Chicago’s favor after the Saturday announcement. Anyone who bet on Baltimore following the initial Friday report wasn’t happy. The timing was particularly problematic given that it happened the same week as an NBA betting scandal.
And despite the optics, Ravens cooperated fully with the NFL’s investigation. According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, if the investigation had determined the violation was intentional or competitive in nature, the discipline would have been more significant, including the potential loss of draft picks.
The $100,000 fine is relatively light compared to other recent violations, as Florio noted.
In 2023, the Falcons were fined $75,000 and coach Arthur Smith was fined $25,000 for failing to disclose that running back Bijan Robinson had developed a game-day illness. In 2024, the 49ers lost a fifth-round pick and had a fourth-round selection downgraded by four spots due to a salary-cap clerical error that created no strategic advantage.
The Ravens won’t appeal the fine. In a statement, the team said they “clearly made an error regarding player injury reporting and cooperated transparently with the league’s investigation” and have taken steps to ensure compliance moving forward.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.