The NFL is reviewing the Baltimore Ravens for a potential violation of the league’s injury report policy.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson was initially listed as a ‘full’ participant in practice before being ruled out for Sunday’s game.
The change in Jackson’s status significantly impacted the betting line for the Ravens-Bears game.
The league has previously fined teams and coaches for failing to accurately report player injuries.
So, Lamar Jackson wasn’t pegged to return on Sunday for the Baltimore Ravens after all.
But that’s only half the drama.
The NFL confirmed to USA TODAY Sports that it is reviewing the Baltimore Ravens for violating the league’s policy on injury reports – which resonates a lot more as it hits at the end of a week when the NBA was rocked by a gambling scandal that included allegations related to injuries.
Jackson was listed as a “full” participant after Friday’s practice, which would infer that he was on track to return from his hamstring injury against the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
On Saturday, however, Jackson was ruled out for a third consecutive game, his status downgraded as the Ravens publicly acknowledged that their star quarterback wasn’t exactly a “full” participant on Friday as previously indicated.
Say what?
“Lamar Jackson was present for and participated fully in our entire Friday practice ahead of Sunday’s game against the Bears,” the Ravens said in a statement on Saturday. “Upon further evaluation and after conferring with the league office, because Lamar didn’t take starter reps in practice, we updated our report to reflect his practice participation.”
The impact of this flip was quickly updated on the betting lines for the Ravens-Bears game – which is an undeniable sticky byproduct of the controversy and a reason why the NFL has long instituted standards for reporting injuries.
Lamar Jackson injury update swings Bears-Ravens betting line
The Ravens (1-5) were listed as 7 ½-point favorites earlier in the week, when it appeared that Jackson, the two-time NFL MVP, would play against a Bears team riding a four-game winning streak.
Without Jackson? The spread on BetMGM.com was 2 ½ points before kickoff on Sunday.
That swing says so much about Jackson’s potential impact at the casinos.
Maybe you felt the urge with your office pool: Can I change my pick?
With Jackson sidelined, the Ravens turned to career backup Tyler Huntley to make his first start of the season, supplanting the previous and ineffective fill-in, Cooper Rush.
Did the Ravens intentionally mislead the public by listing Jackson as a “full” participant in Friday’s practice?
Gamesmanship in NFL injury reporting under heightened scrutiny
That is undoubtedly an essential question for the NFL’s probe, against the backdrop of a competitive environment in the league where teams are known to employ gamesmanship that can include attempts to hide injuries from opponents.
The league’s injury report protocols, however, specifically state that if a starting player does not take the normal “starter” reps in practice, his status should be listed as “limited.” Reportedly, Jackson’s practice reps on Friday involved him running the scout team.
Sure, he’s progressing. And now the target for his return is Thursday night, when the Ravens visit the Miami Dolphins.
We’ll see. In the meantime, there’s no excuse if the Ravens were extremely sloppy in categorizing Jackson’s status on Friday.
I mean, it’s Jackson, one of the league’s highest-profiled players – and the player who undoubtedly is such a huge key to the hopes that the team can rebound from what matches its worst record over six games in franchise history.
It seems likely that another blow for the Ravens will be coming from the NFL, given its history in dealing with injury report violations.
“The league reviews any matter involving a change to a player’s status,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told USA TODAY Sports.
In 2023, the league fined the Atlanta Falcons $75,000 and then-coach Arthur Smith $25,000 after star running back Bijan Robinson barely played in a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after he wasn’t listed on the injury report. Robinson became ill on the eve of the game, but the Falcons didn’t bother to update his status.
In 2019, the Pittsburgh Steelers were fined $75,000 and coach Mike Tomlin docked $25,000 for not fully disclosing then-quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s elbow injury.
Conversely, in 2024 the NFL reviewed – and cleared – the San Francisco 49ers after they didn’t declare running back Christian McCaffrey as inactive until shortly before the season opener due to a calf injury. In the previous days, McCaffrey and the team indicated that he was expected to play.
The Ravens case, though, seemingly rises to a higher level because of the actual designation declared – or inferred – with one of the NFL’s marquee quarterbacks.
A hefty fine may not be the limit, with draft picks always potentially on the table for discipline if NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell deems it as fit.
No, there’s been no suggestion that the Ravens tried to manipulate Jackson’s case to influence the gambling market. Yet with increased scrutiny on the link between injuries and betting, it’s surely a bad time for the NFL to confront such optics.
Contact Jarrett Bell at jbell@usatoday.com or follow on X: @JarrettBell
(This column has been updated with additional information.)