Alexander will miss Green Bay’s game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

“The decision to suspend a player is never easy and not one we take lightly. Unfortunately, Jaire’s actions before the game in Carolina led us to take this step,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said in a Wednesday release. “As an organisation, we expect that everyone puts the team first. While we are disappointed, we had a good conversation with Jaire this morning, and we fully expect him to learn from this as we move forward together. We look forward to welcoming him back next week, as he is a valued member of this team and will continue to be in the future.”

The incident occurred at the outset of the Packers’ narrow 33-30 win over the Carolina Panthers last Sunday. Alexander, who was not a designated game captain, joined the coin toss at midfield anyway, correctly called tails but didn’t say “defer” when asked by referee Alex Kemp.

“I said, ‘I want our defence to be out there,’ and they all looked at me like I was crazy,” Alexander said afterward. “I’m like, I mean, it’s pretty simple what I said like I want the defence to be out there. They like, ‘You mean defer?’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, I guess.'”

Had Kemp not double-checked on Alexander’s intent, the Panthers would have received the first- and second-half kickoffs.

“That was a big mistake,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said of Alexander’s call. “That’s something that you review with the guys before they go out there every time about, ‘Hey, we win the toss, we’re going to defer.’ I went to the officials before the game and made sure they knew what we were going to do. We had an incident earlier this year where we had a similar situation, so always try to be proactive in that approach.”

The Packers, who choose captains week-to-week instead of designating season-long captains, had their three-game captains out there and Alexander wasn’t one of them. Neither LaFleur nor Alexander said whether permission was asked for or granted to be out there for the coin toss.

“I don’t think Coach knew I was from Charlotte,” Alexander said. “It was, I mean, the guys backed me up. They knew I was from here.”

Alexander is a two-time Pro Bowler but he has been hampered by a shoulder injury this season. He has 26 tackles, four passes defensed, and a forced fumble in six games (all starts) this season.

The Packers (7-8) are still in contention for a wild-card berth. Sunday’s game at Minnesota (7-8) is a must-win. The Packers enter the game as the 10th seed in the NFC and the Vikings are No. 8.