Broncos safety suspended for remainder of the season

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos’ season has another two weeks remaining. Kareem Jackson’s season is now done.

The NFL announced Tuesday that Jackson will be suspended for the final two games of the season as a result of a Sept. 19 arrest on charges of driving under the influence. Monday, he entered a guilty plea on a reduced charge of driving while ability impaired, resulting in 12 months probation, a punishment of 24 hours of community service and a fine.

His suspension will be without pay and result in a loss of $352,941.18, his base pay for the final two weeks of the season. He has a base salary figure of $3,000,000 for this season, which spikes to $11,000,000 next year, which is the second of his three-year contract.

In a statement the Broncos issued Tuesday afternoon, the organization conveyed its “extreme disappointment” in Jackson’s “poor judgment.”

“Kareem Jackson was arrested for driving under the influence on Thursday, Sept. 19,” the statement read. “He immediately informed our team of the incident, which we promptly reported to the NFL and thoroughly reviewed as an organization.

“There are high standards for the personal conduct of all members of our organization, and we have expressed our extreme disappointment to Kareem for his poor judgment. Under the NFL Policy and Program on Substances of Abuse, he has been suspended for the Broncos’ final two games of the 2019 season.”

Jackson also issued a statement via Twitter:

I would like to apologize to the Broncos organization, my teammates & fans. I understand the severity in my lapse of judgement and I will certainly not make this mistake again. I know I am fortunate to play in the NFL and am held to a high standard of professionalism and conduct.

— Kareem Jackson (@ReemBoi25) December 17, 2019

Further illuminating the Broncos’ disappointment in Jackson is the fact that procedures exist to ensure players never have to risk driving under the influence through ride-sharing apps.

NFL player arrests for DUI have declined in recent years thanks in part to access to ride-sharing services provided through the NFL Players Association.

In 2017, the NFL Players Association began a partnership with Lyft, a ride-share service. The deal allowed players to request rides whenever needed, with each player received a $250 credit for any rides taken through Lyft.

The Lyft partnership replaced a similar arrangement with Uber that was launched in 2013. At the time, players received a $200 credit for the service.

These partnerships have gotten results.

From 2002 through August 2013 — one month before the NFLPA announced that first partnership with a major ride-sharing service — there were 15.5 DUI arrests per 12 months for NFL Players, according to the breakdown from USA Today‘s database of NFL player arrests.

From September 2013 through last month, that rate plummeted to 8.0 DUI arrests per 12 months — barely half of what is was before.

With Jackson out, Will Parks will likely move up and see first-team repetitions alongside Justin Simmons in the secondary. Parks played 63 percent of the snaps Sunday in Kansas City, mostly in a No. 3 cornerback role.

The domino effect could result in more snaps for Trey Marshall, who played four snaps in rotational work. Duke Dawson, a hybrid cornerback/safety, could also see additional sub-package work.