When you think of the name Vontaze Burfict in regards to his NFL playing career, you think about some of his outlaw moments. While he’s been an All-Pro player at times for the Cincinnati Bengals, his past has been riddled with trouble.
Now, Burfict has been suspended for the remainder of the 2019 NFL season for his hit Sunday on Indianapolis Colts tight end Jack Doyle. The news just broke from a variety of sources including the NFL official twitter account and ESPN among others.
Raiders LB Vontaze Burfict suspended for remainder of 2019 season. pic.twitter.com/ktMpyIvTrI
— NFL (@NFL) September 30, 2019
Furthermore, if your attention wasn’t focused on Oakland beating Indianapolis on Sunday; we have a clip of the hit. Robert Klemko posts this tweet – and writes for Sports Illustrated – all while calling for the long-term suspension that would be delivered to Burfict less than 24 hours later.
Time to start talking about a long-term ban for Vontaze Burfict (sound on). pic.twitter.com/oMYegAzYyc
— robertklemko (@RobertKlemko) September 29, 2019
After this hit in the second quarter of the Raider win, Burfict was immediately ejected.
Since then, the NFL has sent a letter to Burfict from the VP of football operations explaining the decision of his punishment. It reads as followed:
“There were no mitigating circumstances on this play,” it said. “Your contact was unnecessary, flagrant and should have been avoided. For your actions, you were penalized and disqualified from the game. Following each of your previous rule violations, you were warned by me and each of the jointly-appointed officers that future violations would result in escalated accountability measures. However, you have continued to flagrantly abuse rules designated to protect yourself and your opponents from unnecessary risk.”
Equally important, we mentioned that Burfict is no stranger to receiving punishment from his employer. Indeed, he has been subject to 13 suspensions and fines in a seven-year career in football.
Now, he will spend the rest of the season on the sidelines with a questionable future and a marked past.
Finally, we ask was this punishment just and fair to Burfict? Let us know your opinion in the comments section below.
