Lamar Jackson Pushes Bills Fan Who Slapped Teammate During Upset Loss

Lamar Jackson expressed regret after getting into a mild scuffle with a fan following a Baltimore Ravens touchdown late in the third quarter of the team’s Sunday Night Football game against the Buffalo Bills.

The two-time NFL MVP quarterback took exception to a Bills fan who appeared to reach out over a first-row railing and slapped his teammate on the head before then appearing to push Jackson in the face while they celebrated the touchdown on Sunday, Sept. 7. Jackson, 28, then responded by shoving back at the fan, giving him a two-handed push in the chest and knocking him over backwards before his teammates intervened and the Ravens players returned to their bench.

ESPN reported that the Bills fan was ejected from the stadium after the incident, while Jackson remained in the game, which slipped away from the Ravens late as the Bills stormed back for a dramatic come-from-behind 41-40 win in the final seconds.

“He slapped me, and he was talking s—, so, I just forgot where I was for a little bit,” Jackson told reporters after the game during his postgame press conference. “You have to think in those situations. You have security out there; let security handle it. But I just let my emotions get the best of me.”

Jackson said that “hopefully, it doesn’t happen again. “I learned from that,” he added.

Despite voicing regret over the incident, video from the confrontation shows the fan instigating the scuffle after slapping wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins on the top of the helmet before then turning to Jackson and pushing him in the helmet, placing his hand on Jackson’s facemask and forcing the NFL star’s head backwards with the push.

“I’ve never seen our fans do that,” Jackson said. “So, I’ll probably do it again when we score a touchdown. It’s not nothing against the fans. I’m just celebrating when my teammates get a touchdown.”

PEOPLE has reached out to the NFL for comment but did not immediately receive a response Monday morning.

The shoving incident happened after Jackson connected with Hopkins for a 29-yard touchdown pass to extend Baltimore’s lead to 34-19 over the Bills with a little more than one minute remaining in the third quarter. The Bills returned in the fourth quarter out-scoring Baltimore 22-6 and won the game by one point on a last-second field goal from 41-year-old kicker Matt Prater.

“You just got to do better,” Jackson said after the game, adding later, “When we’re up in the fourth quarter, the game is not over until it says 0:00 on the clock.”