The Bills may have lost another one of their defensive role players in their Week 12 loss to the Eagles.
This time, however, injury is not to blame. It stemmed from a confrontation between Shaq Lawson and a fan during the first quarter of the Bills-Eagles game.
A video captured by fans on hand for Sunday's game showed Lawson and fellow defensive linemen Jordan Phillips and Ed Oliver getting into it with a heckler seated in the first row. Phillips eventually went up to the fan and got in his face before Lawson, who was following his teammate, shoved the heckler.
Lawson retreated after the shove while Leonard Floyd attempted to play peacemaker, leading Phillips back to the bench after the confrontation.
An #Eagles fan got into it with #Bills’ Jordan Phillips, Ed Oliver, Shaq Lawson and Greg Rousseau …
— uSTADIUM (@uSTADIUM) November 27, 2023
Lawson end up even pushing him 😳
(beccacavalier/IG) pic.twitter.com/GpUYKn0fNx
POWER RANKINGS: Where Bills rank among NFL's top team after loss to Eagles
The fan appeared no worse for wear after the incident. He continued to heckle the Bills players after it. That "chirping" was what initially led to the altercation, as Eagles fan Becca Cavalier, who captured the video of it, told the Buffalo News.
"I'm not sure exactly what happened that led to them all coming over," she said. Phillips "and the fan in the video were chirping at each other a lot the whole game, but I couldn't really hear what was being said."
The incident occurred deep into the Bills' sideline, so it went unnoticed by the officials who were focused on the on-field play of each team. Lawson later apologized for the incident on Instagram, according to Instagram.
"Those of you who know me know that I'm all about the fans, and I have a lot of respect for the game I play and my opponents," Lawson wrote, according to ESPN. "Before the game started yesterday, there was a fan behind our bench, who was making life threatening remarks towards us and our families. We asked Philadelphia security to remove the fan, but he was allowed to stay for the entire game. Eventually, our emotions boiled over, and I made a mistake. For that, I apologize, but there are certain lines that should not be crossed."
However, the NFL will certainly take notice of the altercation. That could lead to a significant punishment for Lawson.
Will Shaq Lawson be suspended?
A league source told the Philadelphia Inquirer that Lawson "likely would be fined and probably suspended" for his altercation with a fan during the Bills-Eagles game on Sunday.
This isn't a surprise. After all, Lawson made physical contact with a fan. While that person appears to be OK and seemed to relish his role as the instigator in the incident, the NFL will want to send a strong message that this type of reaction from any player will not be tolerated.
Professional sports leagues have been on high alert for these types of escalated incidents since the famous "Malice at the Palace" brawl occurred between Ron Artest and a Pistons fan in 2004. The confrontation on Sunday didn't nearly reach those levels, but the NFL will still want to play it safe and take strong action to disincentivize players from confronting fans.
Neither the Bills nor the Eagles have commented on the altercation or the video as of this writing.
MORE: How Bills' loss to the Eagles impacted their playoff chances
Shaq Lawson stats
Lawson has served as a rotational player on the edge of the Buffalo defense in 2023 thus far. He has appeared in 10 games and has made seven tackles while notching one sack.
Lawson has only played 28.1 percent of the Buffalo's snaps in 2023. So, if he is suspended, it should be easy enough to divide his snaps up among the other members of the Bills' defensive line. As it stands, Leonard Floyd, Greg Rousseau, Von Miller and AJ Epenesa figure to handle a majority of those defensive snaps with Kingsley Jonathan perhaps rotating in on occasion in Lawson's stead.
Since being a first-round pick by the Bills in the 2016 NFL Draft, Lawson has logged 26 sacks and seven forced fumbles. He has spent five of his seven seasons with the Bills but has also spent time with the Dolphins, Jets and Texans.
