ExtremeRavens Posted yesterday at 12:20 AM Posted yesterday at 12:20 AM Lamar Jackson is expected to start for the Ravens on Thursday night against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium, coach John Harbaugh said following Monday evening’s walk-through practice in Owings Mills. What potential discipline Baltimore could face from the NFL over the handling of the quarterback’s practice participation status last week, however, remains to be seen. Harbaugh said that he has not heard from the league office on the matter and does not know if he will, though the matter remains under review. “When I knew he wasn’t gonna play for sure we just declared him out,” he said. “We were hopeful. There was a chance. I’d say probably there probably was an outside chance, but still had my fingers crossed. And then it came down from that side — and when I said that side I mean the medical side. That’s how it works.” Jackson, who has been sidelined since injuring his hamstring in the third quarter of last month’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead and was listed as a “limited” participant in practice on Wednesday and Thursday of last week, was listed as “full” on Friday’s injury report after taking all the reps on the scout team. The two-time NFL Most Valuable Player did not, however, take any reps with the first-team offense. Per the league’s injury report policy, “Participation on the scout team, no matter how extensive, by a player whose normal repetitions would be with the starter but for his medical condition, would not alter the player’s proper designation as ‘limited participation.’” That change in designation led to an NFL spokesperson saying over the weekend the league will look into the Ravens’ handling of the situation, adding, “The league reviews any matter involving a change to a player’s status.” The spokesperson also told The Baltimore Sun on Monday night that the matter is still ongoing and did not provide a timeline of when the investigation could conclude or what potential penalty could be handed down. However, one recent example provides a potential road map. In December 2023, Falcons coach Arthur Smith was fined $25,000 and the team $75,000 after it was found that Atlanta failed to disclose on its injury report in Week 7 of that year that running back Bijan Robinson was ill with a headache before their game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in which he played a significantly lower snap count in the contest. While the Ravens’ situation likely won’t take quite as long to be adjudicated, they could be looking at having to at least pay a significant fine. Baltimore’s snafu also came just days after news broke of a massive sports betting scandal involving the NBA, part of which revolved around player participation in certain games. Following the Ravens’ 30-16 victory over the Bears at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday, Harbaugh said the injury report situation was an “honest mistake,” that nobody was “trying to hide anything” and “there’s no advantage to be gained with that.” Bears coach Ben Johnson didn’t say afterward how much the revised practice participation impacted the game, but he did say they were preparing for Jackson to play. “Like I said early in the week, we were preparing for Lamar,” Johnson said, “and then when we found out he wasn’t playing, then we get ready for the next guy.” Tyler Huntley started in place of Jackson and completed 17 of 22 passes for 186 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 53 yards as Baltimore snapped a four-game losing streak. “Obviously, they’re going to do what’s best for the team,” Bears defensive tackle Grady Jarrett told reporters when asked if he had ever seen a quarterback’s practice designation change the day before a game. “I don’t think it was no malice behind any of it. I think it’s just how the league goes.” Chicago safety Jaquan Brisker also told reporters that the defensive game plan for Jackson was different than the one for Huntley, but said there were “no excuses.” Should Jackson start Thursday as expected, it would be his first game in more than a month. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article Quote
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