Why was Kareem Jackson suspended? Exploring NFL’s decision on Broncos safety after Week 7 incident

The league announced on Monday that the Denver Broncos safety Kareem Jackson was being suspended for four games after multiple violations of unnecessary roughness at the start of the season. The player tried the league too many times over the course of the seven first weeks of the season, and New York had enough.

This was the second time Kareem Jackson was ejected from a game this season due to unnecessary roughness. The first incident happened in Week 2, when he hit Washington Commanders tight end Logan Thomas on the head, concussing the player due to Jackson lowering his helmet.

The Week 7 incident had Jackson lowering his head and hitting Green Bay Packers tight end Luke Musgrave, whose head snapped back in a hard way after he fell to the ground. It's a clear hit on a defenseless receiver, and one that he had been fined multiple times before.

Kareem Jackson suspended by the NFL: What the league said

NFL Vice President of Football Operations, Jon Runyan, delivered a statement to the player regarding the four-game suspension applied to him:

“On the play in question, you delivered a forceful blow to the head/neck area of a defenseless receiver, when you had the time and space to avoid such contact," Runyan's statement reads. "You could have made contact with your opponent within the rules, yet you chose not to."

Here's what the rulebook says about hitting a defenseless receiver:

"It is a foul if a player forcibly hits the defenseless player's head or neck area with the helmet, facemask, forearm, or shoulder, even if the initial contact is lower than the player's neck, and regardless of whether the defensive player also uses his arms to tackle the defenseless player by encircling or grasping him"

He had been involved in multiple instances of unnecessary roughness this season. The first one happened against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1, the second against the Commanders in Week 2 and a third straight fine against the Miami Dolphins in Week 3.

Since fines were not teaching Kareem Jackson a lesson, the league decided to go a step further. Perhaps he'll stop hitting defenseless players now.