Lamar Jackson apologizes to Bills fan suspended by NFL: ‘Just chill next time’

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson apologized for pushing a fan in Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium, but he said spectators need to “keep your hands and keep your objects to yourself.”

“I believe everyone saw what happened,” Jackson said Wednesday. “Don’t get me wrong, it just happened, I got pushed and I’m like, ‘What?’ I thought I was like, outside. I wasn’t even thinking about me being out there on the field. But my apologies to whoever that was. I don’t know who that was. My apologies to him. Just chill next time. You can talk trash and stuff, but keep your hands to yourself. That’s all I can say.”

The incident occurred following DeAndre Hopkins’ 29-yard touchdown in the third quarter of the Bills’ eventual 41-40 win. A young fan in a Bills jersey, seated just beyond the end zone, reached over the front row and slapped Hopkins on the helmet. The fan then hit Jackson on the helmet, prompting the quarterback to shove him with two hands.

The fan was ejected and has since been banned by the NFL indefinitely. It’s unclear if Jackson will be disciplined by the league.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said there’s been no discipline issued “as far as he knows,” but he did say that both team president Sashi Brown and general manager Eric DeCosta have talked to the league about the incident.

DeCosta also had an “in-depth” meeting with Jackson this week about the incident and his response.

“I’m very confident that he understands what he needs to understand,” Harbaugh said of Jackson. “I know he talked to Eric about it at length. As far as I can tell, I think we’re in a good spot with that.”

Jackson also expressed disappointment in the bottle that was thrown at Ravens running back Derrick Henry as he was scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

“That’s crazy,” Jackson said. “Stuff like that shouldn’t be happening. It’s not WWE. We’re playing football out here. Don’t make me look bad, y’all. Flock Nation, don’t make me look bad. I’ve never seen any of our fans do that to an opposing team. Just keep it football. Talk trash. I know guys are going to talk trash, but keep it that way and keep your hands and keep your objects to yourself.”

(Photo: Timothy T Ludwig / Getty Images)

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