Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Broncos S Kareem Jackson Suspended Without Pay for Final Two Games
Kareem Jackson giveth and he taketh away. The Denver Broncos announced on Tuesday that the veteran safety has been suspended for the final two games of the 2019 season for violating the NFL's Policy and Program on Substances of Abuse.
Jackson was arrested for DUI on September 19. His suspension will be without pay.
The Broncos knew this was coming from the league, as Jackson was completely transparent with the team out of the gates. Here's the Broncos' statement on the matter.
Kareem Jackson was arrested for driving under the influence on Thursday, Sept. 19. He immediately informed our team of the incident, which we promptly reported to the NFL and thoroughly reviewed as an organization.
There are high standards for the personal conduct of all members of our organization, and we have expressed our extreme disappointment to Kareem for his poor judgment. Under the NFL Policy and Program on Substances of Abuse, he has been suspended for the Broncos’ final two games of the 2019 season.
The 31-year-old's ill-advised behavior will cost him a couple of game checks, and it'll cost his team. The Broncos secondary was beleaguered enough as it was, as evidenced by their Swiss Cheese performance at Arrowhead Stadium last week.
The Broncos needed every able-bodied vet they could get on the back-end of their defense. And Jackson, who was signed to a three-year, $33 million contract by the Broncos last March, has proven to be more than just a guy — he's a true difference-maker.
Jackson's suspension is sure to shake up the secondary even more. Expect to see more of Will Parks and Trey Marshall, while the previously benched Duke Dawson will likely see action again on defense. At the end of the day, though, the ramifications aren't much as the Broncos were eliminated from playoff contention by virtue of their 23-3 loss to Kansas City last week.
It's unfortunate that Jackson's season has to end this way. It could end up costing him what modest chance he had at making the Pro Bowl. He's played at that level for the season, and making it to the NFL's all-star game would be a first in his 10-year career.
But that bad decision he made to drive while intoxicated on September 19 is likely to rob him of that chance to finally play in a Pro Bowl. Regardless, he'll finish his 10th year in the league as the ninth highest-graded safety in the NFL per Pro Football Focus. His partner, Justin Simmons, is No. 1.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
