Though it may cost him, Jacksonville Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins isn’t expected to be suspended for his scuffle with San Francisco 49ers receiver Jauan Jennings on Sunday. However, the league will review the situation and decide what actions should or shouldn’t be taken, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
#Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins won’t be suspended for the slap that got him ejected from Sunday’s loss to the #49ers, I’m told. It’ll be reviewed for a possible fine.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 22, 2021
The play that is being reviewed came around the 9:42 minute mark of the second quarter on a third-and-two where receiver Deebo Samuel was stopped by safety Andrew Wingard for a loss during a rushing attempt. However, Jenkins and Jennings started to tussle away from the play after the whistle. That led to Jenkins slapping Jennings, and as a result, the veteran safety was thrown out of the game and flagged for unnecessary roughness.
If he’s fined, this won’t be the first time the NFL has hit Jenkins in the pocket. He was fined twice (for individual fines of $10,300) for taunting Week 6 against the Miami Dolphins. One of those fines was for making slight helmet contact with receiver Mack Hollins after a play, while the other was for taunting in the fourth quarter where tight end Durham Smythe hauled in a catch.
When looking at some of the taunting penalties the league has called, some fans and players feel as though the league is overreacting to relatively minor situations. However, even under the old rules, the league isn’t likely to accept players striking each other after the whistle, and it’s all but guaranteed that Jenkins will get yet another letter in the mail from Roger Goodell and Co.
Moving forward, the veteran will need to be careful about not putting his teammates and himself in bad situations as a captain, especially as his reputation for taunting precedes him on the field and he falls under more scrutiny.
