The Baltimore Ravens are back to their winning ways with star quarterback Lamar Jackson returning under center on Thursday night. But Jackson’s impact began even before his Week 9 comeback. Amid the team’s rough 1–5 start, he pushed to have ping-pong tables and other games removed from the locker room in an effort to refocus the roster.
The move was revealed by Ravens All-Pro cornerback Marlon Humphrey, a disclosure Jackson didn’t deny, though it may have crossed an unspoken locker room line. Former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho certainly thinks so, blasting Humphrey for “gossiping” and sharing internal business with the media.
Emmanuel Acho Slams Humphrey for Exposing Lamar Jackson’s Leadership Move
In the days leading up to the Ravens’ Week 8 matchup against the Chicago Bears, reports began circulating online that several recreational items had been removed from the locker room. Video game setups, ping-pong tables, and other leisure activities were reportedly tossed out.
At first, it seemed like a decision from the coaching staff, before it was confirmed that the senior players on the roster made the change. However, Humphrey later revealed that it was the leader of the team, Jackson, who made the choice for the locker room.
As he recalled, Jackson had a simple message: “Man, we’re having too much fun over here. Get this stuff out of here,” leading to the rest of the team acquiescing to his request.
The decision paid off as the Ravens beat the Bears 30–16 even without Jackson under center. Still, Humphrey’s public disclosure didn’t sit well with former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho.
“It’s one thing to pillow talk to your lady, it’s another thing pillow talking to the world,” he said on SpeakEasy. “You pillow talking to Twitter, you pillow talking to Instagram, you pillow talking to social media. Stop pillow talking…Stop gossiping and kikiing to the media. We ain’t need to know Lamar Jackson got everything removed. Let Lamar do that because some feel it makes him look bad.”
Jackson confirmed Humphrey’s revelation on Monday, but didn’t appear bothered by it. “I don’t want to say people don’t take the job serious, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t feel like it was the time for that. We’ve got a lot of work to do,” he explained.
Returning from a hamstring strain on Thursday, the two-time MVP torched the Miami Dolphins defense, throwing for 204 yards and four touchdowns. He currently ranks as the fourth-best quarterback in the league according to PFSN’s QB Impact metric.
With upcoming games against the Vikings, Browns, Jets, and Bengals, Baltimore (3-5) appears well-positioned to climb above .500.
