Rams’ Alaric Jackson Suspended Two Games for Striking Bills’ Bradley Chubb
NEW YORK — Los Angeles Rams offensive lineman Alaric Jackson has been suspended without pay for two games for an act of unsportsmanlike conduct after Monday’s game against the Buffalo Bills, the NFL announced Tuesday.
What Happened
After the Bills’ 37-34 overtime win at SoFi Stadium, players were shaking hands and exchanging jerseys. Jackson was swapping jerseys with a Bills player when Buffalo linebacker Bradley Chubb exchanged words with him and walked away. Jackson followed him and struck Chubb in the face, knocking his hat off. Teammates quickly separated the two.
The league said Jackson violated Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1, which covers “any act which is contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship.”
Chubb said afterward that it was an emotional game, and that he let Jackson swing and his teammates held him back.
When He Can Return
Jackson will miss the Rams’ Oct. 18 game against the Arizona Cardinals and their Oct. 25 game against the Las Vegas Raiders. He’s eligible to return to the active roster Monday, Oct. 26.
Rams coach Sean McVay said David Quessenberry will start at left tackle while Jackson is out.
Appeal Process
Under the collective bargaining agreement, Jackson may appeal, and McVay said he will. Any appeal will be heard and decided by one of four hearing officers: Derrick Brooks, Jordy Nelson, Ron Rivera or James Thrash. The NFL and the NFL Players Association jointly appoint and pay them to decide appeals of on-field player discipline.
Not His First Brush With the League
Jackson, 28, is in his fourth season as the Rams’ starting left tackle. He was previously suspended for the first two games of the 2024 season for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
Please check before publishing:
Appeal outcome: McVay said Jackson will appeal, but I didn’t find a ruling. If you publish after a decision, update the “Appeal Process” and “When He Can Return” sections.
Added context: The score, location, jersey swap, hat detail, Chubb’s reaction, McVay’s comments, Quessenberry and the 2024 suspension come from AP, NFL.com and other reports, not the release. Confirm anything you can’t back up.
The “hat” detail: AP says the blow knocked Chubb’s hat off. Other outlets describe a punch to the head. The release says “in the face,” so I used the release’s wording first and AP’s detail second. Smooth that out if you have your own source.
Left out on purpose: Reports also mention Jackson was arrested in June on suspicion of felony domestic violence, and that his case was assigned to a prefiling diversion program. I kept that out because it’s a separate matter from this suspension. If you decide to include it, I’d wording it exactly as reported and attribute it.
Bills player in the jersey swap: Reports name him as Deone Walker. I left the name out since it isn’t essential, but you can add it.
Dateline and days: I kept “NEW YORK” from the release and wrote “Tuesday” for the announcement, matching the Oct. 13 date.
Source: NFL Communications
