Top Packers Defender Suspended for Bizarre Reason
Dustin Baker
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It feels like a parody story, but it is not.
The Green Bay Packers will travel to Minnesota for a date with the Vikings on New Year’s Eve — without top cornerback Jaire Alexander.
Top Packers Defender Suspended for Bizarre Reason
The Packers suspended Alexander for a game on Wednesday, conveniently a showdown against an NFC North foe in the Vikings.
The 33rd Team‘s Ari Meirov tweeted Wednesday, “The Packers have suspended CB Jaire Alexander for one game for conduct detrimental to the team. Alexander did something prior to Sunday’s game vs. Carolina which led to the team suspending him.”
But that wasn’t the end of the story. The mystery was solved quickly.
Meirov followed up the initial tweet with a clarification, “Jaire Alexander is being suspended because he went out for coin toss on Sunday even though he was not a captain, and then nearly botched the call.”
So, yes, Alexander will be on the shelf for a game because he was involved in the coin toss. You cannot make it up.
NFL Network‘s Ian Rapoport tweeted this, too, to provide a visual of the infraction:
Alexander is a two-time All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowler, making the suspension all the more mind-boggling. He also fired up a famous and fantastic game last year against the Vikings, helping to contain Justin Jefferson, one of the few teams that did so in 2022.
The 26-year-old has produced a 65.6 Pro Football Focus grade this season, down from 80.3 last year. He has also missed eight games due to injury, so it’s safe to declare 2023 as a down season for Alexander — and the strange suspension does not help his case.
Alexander also has banked an astronomical 120.6 passer-rating-against in six games this season, a terrible stat for a two-time Pro Bowler.
Against the Vikings in October, Vikings rookie wideout Jordan Addison torched Alexander for a touchdown in another bad day at the office for the Louisville alumnus:
Alexander gained notoriety from Vikings fans last year in the aforementioned game involving Jefferson’s quiet performance. On one notable pass break-up, he broke out in the Griddy dance, Jefferson’s signature move after a touchdown. Since then, Vikings fans have looked forward to a rematch between Alexander and Jefferson, but that will have to wait until 2024 at the earliest.
The Vikings are favored to defeat the Packers by two points in Week 17, and whichever team prevails will have about a 50% chance of reaching the playoffs.
Former Vikings HC Wants Back In
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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