NFL makes the right call with Kareem Jackson's four-game suspension

The hit was only the most recent run-in for Jackson, who's earned the infamous label as the dirtiest player in the league with his incessant cheap shots.

In the NFL's letter to Jackson announcing his suspension, it said he violated a league rule which states:

"It is a foul if a player forcibly hits the defenseless player's head or neck area with the helmet, facemask, or shoulder, even if the contact is lower than the player's neck, and regardless of whether the defensive player also uses his arms to tackle the defenseless player by encircling or grasping him."

NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan wrote in the NFL's letter to Jackson that he "had the time and space to avoid such contact. You could have made contact with your opponent within the rules, yet you chose not to."

Jackson was also ejected in Week 2 after a hit on Commanders tight end Logan Thomas after he scored a touchdown.

As Schefter noted, he was also fined in Week 1 following an unnecessary hit on Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers that gave him a concussion.

Jackson's career is following a similar arc to former Bengals and Raiders linebacker Vontaze Burfict, who last played in the NFL in 2019 when he was suspended for the final 12 games of the season for repeatedly violating the league's player safety rules.

Jackson will likely be under a microscope when he returns. If he can't show better judgment in the future, the NFL will have no choice but to bring the hammer down harder.