Buffalo Bills Defender Fined by NFL and Roger Goodell for Altercation with Fan During Week 12 Battle Against the Philadelphia Eagles

The NFL and its fans scrutinized Lawson over the past few weeks for physically contacting a fan during his team’s loss against the Philadelphia Eagles. The moment was caught on video, putting Lawson squarely in the crosshairs of the NFL and Roger Goodell.  

NFL and Roger Goodell Slap Shaq Lawson with Fine for Incident with Fan

Shaq Lawson and teammate Jordan Phillips got into an ugly verbal jousting match with Philadephia Eagles admirers in their team’s Week 13 loss, resulting in the former shoving a fan. Video evidence shows Lawson lunged at a vocal Eagles fan, much to the dismay of the Philadelphia faithful. The six-foot-three edge rusher took to Instagram after the altercation, saying the fans were ‘making life-threatening remarks towards our families and us.”

Lawson and Phillips asked the fans to be removed, per a viral video shared on Twitter (also known as X) in late November. 

Buffalo Bills DE Shaq Lawson: Losing Role in 2023

Lawson, the 19th overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft, is in his sixth year with the Buffalo Bills. Lawson shined with the Bills from 2016 to 2019, registering 16.5 sacks and 25 TFLs before joining the Miami Dolphins. The Clemson product spent one season with the Dolphins before playing with the New York Jets in 2021, eventually returning to the Bills the following season. However, after a 3.5 sack campaign in 2022, Lawson’s snap share has taken a massive hit this year. He has played just 31% of the defensive snaps, easily the lowest mark of his eight-year NFL career.

Lawson has only ten tackles, two TFLs, four QB hits, and one sack this season. He has not started a game this year, with the Bills opting for the rushing duo of Leonard Floyd and Greg Rousseau. Meanwhile, pass rushers Von Miller and A.J. Espenesa have played more than Lawson in 2023.