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John Harbaugh made it clear whose side he’s on following Lamar Jackson’s run-in with a fan in Baltimore’s season opener at Buffalo.
After Jackson threw a touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins in the third quarter of Baltimore’s 41-40 loss to the Bills on Sunday night, several Ravens were celebrating behind the corner of the end zone. A fan reached out and gave Hopkins a little shove to the helmet, then did the same to Jackson, who pushed him back with two hands to the chest.
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The fan was ejected by stadium security and has been banned indefinitely.
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The fan who shoved Ravens WR DeAndre Hopkins, and then got shoved by QB Lamar Jackson, has been “indefinitely banned from Bills and NFL stadiums”, per a team official. The fan had been ejected after the shove Sunday night. pic.twitter.com/vV1m6K6oqj
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 8, 2025
Jackson said afterward he let his emotions get the better of him, but Harbaugh said it was understandable.
“We want our guys to celebrate with one another. That’s the whole idea. I guess I didn’t know you’re not allowed to go close to the stands to do that without being attacked by a fan,” Harbaugh said.
“You score a touchdown, you probably shouldn’t have a frozen water bottle thrown at you either,” Harbaugh added, likely referring to a projectile that came flying in Derrick Henry’s direction when he scored to put Baltimore up 40-25.
Harbaugh said he hadn’t heard anything from the league about the incident with Jackson.
“I don’t know how any of us would respond in that moment,” the Baltimore coach said. “I think it’d be something, we’d probably be thinking about protecting ourselves.”
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The NFL is expected to look into Jackson’s involvement in the incident, but it’s not clear whether the two-time league MVP will face disciplinary measures for his retaliatory shove of the fan.
The indefinite ban of the fan, who has not been publicly identified, was confirmed Monday by spokespeople for the Bills and the NFL.
“In coordination with the Bills, the individual is banned from all NFL games and events,” the league spokesperson said.
The league’s intention to look into Jackson’s part in the episode was confirmed by a person familiar with the matter.
“I seen him slap (Hopkins),” Jackson said at a post-game news conference. “He slapped me and … he (was) talking. So I just forgot where I was for a little bit. You’ve got to think in those situations. You’ve got security out there. Let security handle it. But I just let my emotions get the best of me. But hopefully it (doesn’t) happen again. I learned from that.”
— with files from Washington Post
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