Los Angeles Rams tackle Alaric Jackson was facing a two-game suspension for punching Buffalo Bills linebacker Bradley Chubb after Monday night's 37-34 overtime loss at SoFi Stadium. However, Jackson's suspension was reduced to one game on appeal Wednesday.
With Jackson's disciplinary history also in the spotlight, fans questioned why he got a break.
Jackson was swapping jerseys with a Bills player on the SoFi Stadium field after Buffalo's 37-34 overtime win when Chubb seemingly said something to him, pointed, and walked away. He followed the Bills linebacker, and the two exchanged words before Jackson punched Chubb in the face, and teammates separated them.
The NFL suspended Jackson two games without pay on Tuesday, citing its sportsmanship rule. On Wednesday, the league announced that Derrick Brooks, a hearing officer jointly appointed by the NFL and the NFL Players Association, had reduced the ban to one game.
Jackson will miss Sunday's home game against the Arizona Cardinals but is eligible to return on October 25 at the Las Vegas Raiders.
After the announcement, one fan responded , "Can't do anything to tarnish the NFL's precious Rams!"
For a Rams team that fell to 2-3 with Monday's loss, the reduction returns its starting left tackle a week sooner, with David Quessenberry starting in his place against Arizona. Jackson is currently tied as the 15th-best offensive lineman in the NFL in PFN's OL Impact Score with an 84.7 grade through Week 5, so his absence will be felt.
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A San Francisco 49ers fan also expressed frustration.
"Shocking. The NFL throws the Rams a lifeline," they wrote.
Brooks, not the league office, made the final call. He is one of three current appeals officers jointly appointed by the NFL and NFL Players Association to hear appeals of on-field discipline.
Still, the outcome didn't sit well with one Cincinnati Bengals fan, who wrote, "There are absolutely different rules for different teams."
So why the reduction? The announcement did not explain, but ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio wrote that Jackson's case may have included evidence of provocation by Chubb. Florio added that money may have been a factor, since the one-game ban costs Jackson $934,555 of his $16.822 million base salary, while two games would have cost him nearly $2 million.
Chubb gave his side of the story at Bills practice this week, saying he started the conversation by telling Jackson that the Rams' chip blocks and help from a tight end and guard would not save him the next time the teams met.
He also clarified a rumor about the exchange: "I've heard I was talking about his mom. That's not true at all."
Chubb said he has not heard from Jackson since and was proud he did not retaliate and draw a suspension of his own.
"Me personally, I learned I'm either going to have my hands up or wear a helmet," he said.
Some fans compared Jackson's punishment to 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw's suspension. Greenlaw was flagged for a late hit on Sam Darnold after the Seattle Seahawks quarterback went out of bounds during San Francisco's 32-29 win on Sunday. When Seattle defenders confronted him, Greenlaw head-butted Ernest Jones IV, who was left bleeding, and got ejected.
The NFL said the headbutt by a player without a helmet was "contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship," the same language it used to suspend Jackson. James Thrash, another jointly appointed hearing officer, upheld Greenlaw's one-game ban appeal on Tuesday.
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"What a joke," another fan wrote , bringing up the Greenlaw comparison. "He punches a guy and only gets one game while Dre is harassed by the Seattle bench and is suspended for a game and a half. The NFL is a joke."
Brian Nemhauser, who covers the Seahawks, questioned the ruling as well: "This league makes absolutely no sense sometimes."
One more fan took it a step further. "What a terrible look. That dude should've already been suspended."
Meanwhile, this week's ban is not Jackson's first. He sat out the first two games of the 2024 season for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy due to "a woman suing him and alleging Jackson had recorded sexual acts with her on his phone without her consent," according to NFL.com .
Also, the Associated Press reported that Jackson was arrested on June 9 on suspicion of felony domestic violence after a confrontation with a woman at his home in the San Fernando Valley, and that the case was assigned for a prefiling diversion that likely lets him avoid criminal charges.
That leaves one more ruling on Jackson in the league's hands. The NFL has yet to announce a decision on possible discipline for the June arrest, according to the AP.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
