Lamar Jackson, the elite dual-threat quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens, carried major value for the team and fans alike this season. But his limited participation after a hamstring injury has significantly impacted Baltimore’s roster. Although being a consistent starter, his recovery practice has ended up with rumors flaring. With the Ravens changing the Friday designation from ‘full’ to ‘limited,’ a sports podcaster has given his take.

“I understand the gambling implications of the Ravens lying on the injury report,” Nick Wright wrote on X. “The real story is the Ravens listing Lamar as a full participant as a way to pressure him into playing, and Lamar rejecting it.” What could be the possible reason?

Jackson suffered a strain against the Kansas City Chiefs in late September and has missed two games since. Though he was seen practising and was listed as a full participant, the Ravens turned him to ‘limited’. This was because he was limited to scout team reps. A player who is in recovery does not train with the starting team and performs medical rehabilitation.

A mistake like this questions the transparency of the team and displays the importance of their quarterback as they trail 1-5. Their decision also raises questions about other things.

The Gambling implications arose after the spread opened with the Ravens as 6.5-point favorites. The odds shifted dramatically by five points as the Ravens dropped to 1.5-point favorites when they acknowledged that Lamar Jackson would not play. The team claims that they changed the status after they consulted with the league. Someone close to the NFL has given their take on the same.

“The Ravens’ handling of the injury report on Lamar Jackson, I’m fully confident, wasn’t related to gambling in any way, shape or form. But it does highlight the trouble with the league doing business with gambling outlets,” NFL reporter Albert Breer wrote on X.

In 2019, the league had previously fined Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers under disciplinary action for inaccurate injury reports. But what did the league have to say about this story?

The NFL’s investigation into the Ravens’ injury report

This discrepancy prompted the league to review for potential violation of injury-reporting policies.

“Participation on the scout team, no matter how extensive, by a player whose normal repetitions would be with the starters but for his medical condition, would not alter the player’s proper designation as ‘Limited Participation,’” the rule states. 

It was speculated that the Ravens’ initial listing of Jackson as ‘Full Participation’ may have been intended to withhold competitive information ahead of the matchup. The Ravens released a statement clarifying that the update was not an attempt to mislead. 

“Upon further evaluation today 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.” But the league’s “Personnel (Injury) Report Policy” states the term “full participation” should be used only when a player has taken “100 percent” of his “normal repetitions.”

Such errors cannot be called mistakes by a team that sends out reports every week for a player like Lamar Jackson. Or could the pressure of not performing have really hit the Ravens, and they are weighing all their options? Maybe.

As Jackson remains unavailable, Tyler Huntley would continue to take first-team snaps. But fans dread the fact that Jackson is not returning this week. The 28-year-old threw for 869 passing yards with 10 touchdowns through four games. Fans would want more.  

Regardless of who is involved, the NFL’s actions are needed to guarantee honest proceedings and to make sure errors of this kind do not occur. The Ravens, besides this issue, also have a game to worry about. With the Chicago Bears at 4-2, the Baltimore Ravens seem to be looking to salvage a win with Huntley.