Appalachian State Professional Athletes

D'Marco Jackson Is at the Center of an NFL Storm

The NFL's ongoing debate over how to protect quarterbacks on the sideline has a new flashpoint — and an Appalachian State alumnus is right in the middle of it.

Bears linebacker D'Marco Jackson escaped a fine this week after delivering a sideline hit on Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, a decision that drew immediate scrutiny and reignited a league-wide conversation about inconsistent enforcement of quarterback safety rules. The NFL's choice not to penalize Jackson financially only deepened frustration among those who believe the league applies its own standards unevenly, particularly when hits on high-profile quarterbacks go unpunished.

Jackson, who played his college ball in Boone before landing in Chicago, was on the field Sunday as the Bears topped the Jets 23–12. His name, however, is now attached to something far bigger than a Week 5 win.

The controversy isn't really about Jackson personally — by most accounts, the play fell into a gray area the league ultimately ruled did not warrant discipline. But that ruling is precisely what has critics talking. Hurts is one of the league's marquee players, and any hit on a quarterback near the sideline carries heightened scrutiny in the post-Tua Tagovailoa era of head and neck protection protocols. When the fine doesn't come, the silence speaks loudly.

For Mountaineer fans watching from Boone, it's a strange kind of spotlight for one of their own — not a highlight-reel play or a contract extension, but a league-wide rules argument with Jackson's name attached to it. He hasn't been painted as a dirty player; if anything, the NFL's own ruling cleared him. But the controversy has legs well beyond the Bears' locker room.

Elsewhere in the App State NFL Family

Jackson wasn't the only Mountaineer in action during the week. Sam Martin, the veteran punter now with the Carolina Panthers, was on the field Sunday as Carolina fell to Detroit 26–32. Martin has been a steady presence for a Panthers squad still searching for answers on offense.

Meanwhile, Colts linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither suited up in Indianapolis's commanding 30–13 win over Washington, a performance that gave Indy some momentum heading deeper into the season. Davis-Gaither has been a reliable piece of the Colts' linebacker corps since arriving in Indianapolis.

App State's NFL footprint remains impressively wide — more than two dozen former Mountaineers are active on NFL rosters this season, from Jacksonville to Los Angeles — a testament to a program that has punched well above its Sun Belt weight for years. But this week, the conversation starts and ends with D'Marco Jackson, a player who didn't get fined and still managed to make headlines across the league.

The Hit Heard Round the League

Appalachian State alumni don't usually dominate national NFL discourse. This week, one of them did — and not quietly.

Bears linebacker D'Marco Jackson, a Boone product now starting in Chicago, became the most-talked-about defender in football after drilling Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts hard out of bounds during Monday Night Football on September 28. The Bears won the game handily, 27–7, but the scoreline was almost beside the point. Jackson's hit — flagged for unnecessary roughness — sent Hurts to the sideline for a concussion evaluation in the second quarter and ignited a chain reaction that kept the sports internet busy for the rest of the week.

The most memorable fallout wasn't medical. It was Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, caught on camera appearing to scream obscenities directly at Jackson near the sideline. The video went viral almost immediately, and Sirianni spent the days that followed in damage-control mode — publicly expressing "remorse" over the outburst and apologizing for what he later acknowledged was an embarrassing NSFW moment on national television. "I didn't like the way I reacted," Sirianni said, according to multiple reports. The whole episode had the feel of a highlight reel gone sideways: a routine defensive play that cascaded into a coaching controversy, a concussion protocol scare, and a week-long national debate about player safety and sideline decorum.

Jackson's teammates rallied around him. Bears cornerback Jahdae Walker publicly defended the hit, arguing that the linebacker was simply finishing his assignment. And in the most surprising twist of the entire story, the NFL declined to issue a fine. Despite the flag and the public outcry, the league reviewed the play and passed — a decision that only added fuel to the broader debate about how the NFL enforces its own quarterback-protection rules.

For Jackson, the no-fine ruling was vindication of a kind. The hit was penalized in real time, but the league ultimately chose not to punish him further. Whether that reads as consistency or contradiction likely depends on which jersey you grew up wearing.

Elsewhere for App State Alumni

The Jackson story overshadowed a quiet week for the rest of the Mountaineer contingent in the NFL. Colts linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither suited up in Indianapolis's narrow 19–17 win over the Texans on Sunday, September 27 — a result that tightened the AFC South picture heading into October. Panthers punter Sam Martin was also in action that same day as Carolina fell to Cleveland, 21–18.

No other App State alumni logged notable statistical performances or news-making moments during the period.

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The program that produced D'Marco Jackson doesn't often see its alumni make the kind of splash that echoes into Thursday press conferences and league discipline offices. This week was different. Whether Bears fans view it as proof their linebacker plays with an edge, or Eagles fans view it as a missed opportunity for accountability, the App State name was in the national conversation — loudly.

Appalachian State linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither is stepping into one of the most demanding communication roles in the NFL — and he's doing it after just one week of the 2026 season.

The Indianapolis Colts are moving the defensive helmet transmitter, known as the "green dot," from safety Cam Bynum to Davis-Gaither following a costly communication breakdown in their Week 1 blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens. With the green dot comes full responsibility for relaying defensive play calls from the coaching staff to teammates on the field — a role often described as being the quarterback of the defense.

The switch signals both an urgent course correction and a significant vote of confidence in the former App State standout. Communication issues against Baltimore contributed to the 41-23 defeat, and the Colts are betting that Davis-Gaither's instincts and on-field command can stabilize the unit heading into Week 2. It's a high-stakes assignment for any linebacker, let alone one being handed the reins mid-stream in the early weeks of a new season.

Davis-Gaither has steadily built a reputation as a reliable and instinctive defender since entering the league, and this elevation reflects how much the Colts' coaching staff trusts his football IQ and leadership presence in the huddle. The green dot designation isn't just ceremonial — every defensive rep now runs through him.

Elsewhere Around the League

Ryan Neuzil, another App State product, logged a full 60 snaps at center for the Atlanta Falcons in their Week 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Neuzil played every offensive snap, cementing his role as the starting center in Atlanta's rebuilt offensive line.

On the NFC South front, punter Sam Martin suited up for the Carolina Panthers in their Week 1 loss to the Chicago Bears, 59-37, while linebacker D'Marco Jackson was on the other side of that blowout, playing for Chicago in the win. Two Mountaineers, one ugly scoreline — depending on which jersey you were rooting for.

The week underscored the depth of App State's NFL pipeline, with alumni scattered across rosters from Indianapolis to Atlanta to Chicago. Davis-Gaither's green dot moment, though, is the headline — a former mid-major standout now trusted to be the defensive voice of an AFC franchise. Mountaineer fans in Boone should have that one circled.