GREEN BAY, Wis. — If you thought the Green Bay Packers suspended cornerback Jaire Alexander one game strictly because of last Sunday’s coin toss incident, think again.

said Wednesday. “It’s never for one thing.”

Alexander’s antics befo“I’ll just say this,” head coach Matt LaFleurre Green Bay’s 33-30 win over the Carolina Panthers were just the final straw in what has been a strange season for the two-time second-team All-Pro and highest-paid cornerback in NFL history.

Alexander missed Weeks 3 and 4 with a back injury, played through it in Week 5 because he was facing former teammate Davante Adams and then missed a Week 7 game against the Denver Broncos with the same injury. In Week 9, Alexander suffered a shoulder injury diving to break up a pass and missed six consecutive games because of it before returning last Sunday against the Panthers. However, he was never placed on injured reserve during that span and practiced in a limited fashion from the Thursday before playing the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 11 until the Friday before playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 15. He didn’t play in any games during that stretch. Not only that, but Alexander didn’t travel with the Packers to their Week 14 game against the New York Giants after making the trips to Pittsburgh and Detroit, the first two road destinations after his shoulder injury. LaFleur attributed his absence to injury recovery.

Before Sunday’s game, the 26-year-old’s season took perhaps its most bizarre and significant turn yet. Alexander decided to make himself a captain since he was in his hometown of Charlotte. It was the tipping point for general manager Brian Gutekunst and LaFleur suspending one of their best players for a pivotal “Sunday Night Football” game against star wide receiver Justin Jefferson and the Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis, a game the Packers essentially must win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

“The decision to suspend a player is never easy and not one we take lightly. Unfortunately, Jaire’s actions prior to the game in Carolina led us to take this step,” Gutekunst said Wednesday in a statement. “As an organization, we have an expectation that everyone puts the team first. While we are disappointed, we had a good conversation with Jaire this morning and 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.”