Buffalo Bills defensive end Shaq Lawson is the latest in a long line of players to be fined or suspended by the NFL and Roger Goodell. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Lawson was fined an unknown sum by the league for his incident with a spectator in Week 12.
Lawson has been investigated by the NFL and its supporters in recent weeks for physically confronting a fan after his team’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The incident was captured on film, putting Lawson squarely in the sights of the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Roger Goodell and the NFL Fine Shaq Lawson for Incident with a Fan
In their team’s Week 13 loss, Shaq Lawson and teammate Jordan Phillips got into a heated verbal jousting fight with Philadelphia Eagles fans, concluding in the former shoving a spectator. To the chagrin of Philadelphia fans, video evidence shows Lawson lunging at a vociferous Eagles fan. Following the altercation, the six-foot-three edge rusher rushed to Instagram, stating the supporters were “making life-threatening remarks towards our families and us.”
According to a viral video released on Twitter (also known as X) in late November, Lawson and Phillips requested that the fans be removed.
Shaq Lawson, Buffalo Bills defensive end, will be out in 2023.
Lawson is in his sixth season with the Buffalo Bills after being selected 19th overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. Lawson was a standout with the Buffalo Bills from 2016 to 2019, tallying 16.5 sacks and 25 TFLs before joining the Miami Dolphins. The Clemson graduate played one season with the Dolphins before moving on to the New York Jets in 2021 before returning to the Bills the following season. However, following a 3.5 sack season in 2022, Lawson’s snap share has plummeted this year. He has played only 31% of the defensive snaps this season, easily the lowest percentage in his eight-year NFL career.
This season, Lawson has ten tackles, two TFLs, four QB hits, and one sack. He has not started a game this season, as the Bills have gone with the rushing tandem of Leonard Floyd and Greg Rousseau. Meanwhile, pass rushers Von Miller and A.J. Espenesa have played more minutes in 2023 than Lawson.
