NFL Suspends Leonard Fournette 1 Jaguars Game for Role in Fight Against Bills

The NFL suspended halfback Jackson Fournette of Jacksonville for his role in the fight between his team and the Buffalo Bills that erupted in Sunday's game.

After playing near the goal line, Jaguars catcher Dede Westbrook secured Micah Hyde, who pushed out the check and initiated a skirmish involving several players from both teams.

Fournette, who was not in the match when the fight broke out, rushed from the other side of the sideline to get close to the sideline of the Bills and his team. is engaged with defenseman Shaq Lawson of Buffalo. Fournette threw punches and Lawson responded with some of his own. Both players were kicked out of the game and continued their conversation near the tunnel while they were escorted off the field.

Bills coach Sean McDermott said after the match that there was no room for the fight, but that Lawson was reacting to the altercation between Westbrook and Hyde.

"(He was) a guy who defends his teammate," McDermott said. "I have already sat down and talked to Shaq, but we are doing the right thing, when people stand up and challenge us, I do not expect people to back down."

Fournette said after the match that he had been involved in the skirmish to protect his teammate Carlos Hyde, who, he said, hit Lawson from behind. Fournette said he took responsibility for his actions and defeated the team 24-21 against the Bills.

Jaguar coach Doug Marrone said Fournette's actions had a negative impact on the match.

"At the end of the third quarter, we get the ball on the one yard line, two players are ejected, one from each team. (Fournette) was ejected for throwing a punch," he said. he declared. "He came on the sideline, he's a captain." I obviously told him, "You can not do that. It hurts our team to lose our best offensive player by playing at a very high level. "

The letter of the league to Fournette concerning its suspension said:

"Fair play is the cornerstone of the game and the league will not tolerate game-related faults that would reflect a lack of respect for the game itself and the people who participated in it. The video of the incident shows that you did not participate in the game and that you ran from your sideline to the other side of the field to enter as an active participant in a fight once you entered the combat zone you hit a member of the opposing team, your actions hurt the NFL and no place in the game. "