![\"Kevin](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/green-bay-packers-v-minnesota-vikings-nfl-2025-minneapolis-minnesota-2-e1788643859593.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings had one player punished by the NFL.<\/p>\n
The Minnesota Vikings<\/a> found one of their players on the wrong side of the NFL\u2019s justice system with the league coming down on running back Jermar Jefferson<\/a>.<\/p>\n Per the NFL<\/a>, Jefferson was fined $5,583 for a face mask penalty committed during the Vikings\u2019 34-6 loss to the Denver Broncos<\/a> in their preseason finale. It was an anticipated decision<\/a>, but also comes with a surprising twist as the only punishment doled out in the aftermath.<\/p>\n Jefferson\u2019s punishment the final act of his 2026 campaign.<\/p>\n The fact that he drew the costly penalty in a blowout loss for the Vikings only adds insult to literal injury.<\/p>\n Vikings RB Jermar Jefferson Punished After Roster Move During the third frame, on a fourth-and-13, and the Vikings were punting the ball, Jefferson got a handful of Broncos returner Kolbe Katsis\u2019 facemask, drawing a flag. The penalty was offseason, thanks to former Broncos RB Jaleel McLaughlin\u2019s illegal block above the waist.<\/p>\n Jefferson was not as fortunate avoiding a fine, though.<\/p>\n \u201cIf a player grasps an opponent\u2019s facemask or helmet opening, he must immediately release it. He shall not grasp and control, twist, turn, push, or pull the facemask or helmet opening of an opponent in any direction,\u201d the NFL\u2019s rulebook<\/a> states.<\/p>\n The in-game penalty is a \u201closs of 15 yards. The player may be disqualified if the action is flagrant. If the foul is by the defense, it is also an automatic first down.\u201d<\/p>\n The NFL\u2019s review process then determines if a fine is warranted.<\/p>\n This was also a lighter fine than Jefferson could have received. The league notes<\/a> that fines for first-time offenses can cost players up to \u201c$11,941,\u201d while second offenses can reach as much as \u201c$17,911.\u201d<\/p>\n That just underscores how much of the process is up to the league, though players can appeal such decisions.<\/p>\n Jermar Jefferson\u2019s Season Cut Short Jefferson led the Vikings during the preseason with 74 yards on 11 carries, also catching two passes for 8 yards.<\/p>\n A former seventh-round draft pick of the Detroit Lions<\/a>, taken 257th overall in the 2021 draft, Jefferson is in his first season with the Vikings. He spent the 2025 season with the Arizona Cardinals<\/a> and spent time with the San Francisco 49ers<\/a> this offseason.<\/p>\n The Vikings waived Jefferson with an injury designation on August 31.<\/p>\n After clearing waivers, reverted back to their injured reserve<\/a> on September 2. Barring an injury settlement, Jefferson will miss the 2026 season.<\/p>\n Vikings LB, Broncos RB Get Good News The NFL chose not to fine McLaughlin, whose illegal block was, by definition, not worthy of a fine on its own. That would only have happened if the NFL determined he committed an illegal blindside block.<\/p>\n Instead, the offsetting flags were the full extend of McLaughlin\u2019s punishment over the game. The Broncos did ultimately waive him at the roster deadline, though.<\/p>\n Similarly, former Vikings linebacker Josh Ross avoided drawing the NFL\u2019s ire.<\/p>\n Ross committed two separate penalties during the contest. One was for \u201cunnecessary roughness\u201d on a late hit in the second quarter, and the other was an \u201cillegal use of the hands, hands to the face\u201d which could have turned into a facemask.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tJosh Buckhalter<\/a> covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. He has covered both leagues since 2016, including bylines at FanSided, Last Word on Sports and Clocker Sports. He’s based in Villa Park, Illinois. Follow Josh on Twitter and Instagram: @JoshGBuck More about Josh Buckhalter<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings had one player punished by the NFL. The Minnesota Vikings found one…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":881537,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[64,63,593,85],"class_list":["post-881536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/881536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=881536"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/881536\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/881537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=881536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=881536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=881536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n![\"Johnny](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/minnesota-vikings-v-denver-broncos-denver-colorado-august-28-johnny-walker-e1788215739304.jpg\")
GettyVikings RB Jermar Jefferson received a fine from the NFL<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\n![\"Jermar](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/baltimore-ravens-v-minnesota-vikings-minneapolis-minnesota-august-22-jermar-jefferson-e1788643701134.jpeg\")
GettyVikings RB Jermar Jefferson had a solid preseason, but an injury has sidelined him.<\/p>\n
\n![\"Kevin](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/minnesota-vikings-v-denver-broncos-denver-co-august-28-head-coach-1-e1787981050645.jpg\")
GettyKevin O\u2019Connell and the Vikings cut ties with Josh Ross<\/a> before the NFL could make its decision.<\/p>\n