The NFL has suspended Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch one game for making contact with an official in Thursday night’s game, the league announced. Lynch will appeal the ban, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
League spokesman Joe Lockhart said earlier today that the NFL was exploring all its options with regard to Lynch’s punishment, and they’ve now decided on a single-game ban. Lynch has three days to appeal the suspension, but if no further action is taken, he’ll miss Oakland’s Week 8 contest against the Bills. The Raiders will be granted a roster exemption, meaning they’ll be allowed to add another player to their roster in place of Lynch.
Without Lynch available, Oakland will turn to Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington to man its backfield. Richard and Washington each handled nine carries and played roughly 30% of the Raiders’ offensive snaps after Lynch was ejected last night. While Oakland doesn’t currently have a fourth running back on its 53-man roster, it could promote seventh-round rookie Elijah Hood from the practice squad to cover for Lynch’s one-game absence.
Lynch’s impending fine wouldn’t be his only financial consequence now that he’s been suspended. Lynch will lose $79,412 in weekly base salary, plus an extra $31,250 in gameday active roster bonus money, as a result of his one-game ban.
Surprised it was only one game. I thought it would be one game for pushing the official then another 1 or 2 since he wasn’t even on the field for that play, but came in from the sidelines.
Agreed. This is about as good as he could’ve hoped for. Coming all the way from the sidelines to get involved guaranteed he’d get at least one game imo
He’s garbage, regardless of his supposed intentions, anybody leaving the bench for an altercation like that ought to have the book thrown at him.