In what is going to become a theme for the next few years – if not the decade – there are suspicions circling an NFL team over a sudden change to a star player’s injury status before a game.
Despite listing MVP QB Lamar Jackson as “questionable” on Friday following a full day of practice, the Baltimore Ravens issued an update on Saturday, revealing that he should have been classified as “limited” on Friday. They then announced that he has been ruled OUT for Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears.
Advertisement
Shortly afterwards, NFL insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero explained that the confusion stemmed from Jackson practicing with the scout team rather than the first-team offense.
“Why was #Ravens QB Lamar Jackson retroactively downgraded from full to limited on Friday’s injury report? For any player to be considered a full participant, he must take his normal reps — e.g. QB1 reps for QB1. But as @RapSheet said, Jackson took scout team reps Friday. So, Jackson should’ve classified as limited, as he ultimately was when the team ruled out today.”
Advertisement
Something Fishy
The line on the game immediately shifted several points towards Chicago, leading many fans to immediately suspect that something strange is going on in order to manipulate the betting market:
“I wonder how much money was wagered on Ravens yesterday after Lamar Jackson was listed as full practice participant,” one user wrote on X.
“Yeah this is fishy. Give us an automatic win for the inconvenience,” another fan wrote.
Advertisement
“Seems fishy. Gambling is ruining sports,” wrote a third.
“They need to pay betters a settlement.”
Sep 28, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) leaves the field after a game against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
“They knew full and well YESTERDAY where Jackson was on the field and who he was practicing with. They just got caught in the lie and had to pivot. Made them look worse thought.”
There was a time when something like this would have been a non-story. That time was prior to the advent of legal sports betting and exacerbated by the FBI investigation into NBA players manipulating the markets by making wagers based on private injury information.
Advertisement
Even if it was an honest mistake by the Ravens, there’s no more room for “the benefit of the doubt” when normal people are betting big money on the outcomes of these games.
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Oct 25, 2025, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.