We found out Saturday night that Vontaze Burfict likes running out of stadiums.
He’ll get the first three weeks of next year to hone that craft.
The NFL has suspended the Cincinnati Bengals’ linebacker for three games, effective at the start of the 2016 regular season.
In a press release issued by the league, they directly cited his shoulder-to-helmet hit on Antonio Brown as the trigger for the suspension. Previous incidents, including being fined nearly $70,000 in the previous Steelers/Bengals meeting, led to this severe punishment.
Burfict has the right to appeal and will reportedly do so.
The appeal will be heard by Derrick Brooks or James Thrash, both former players, according to the NFL’s release. Burfict has been fined in five separate games since coming into the league in 2013. His first came in 2013, earning two fines: striking a player in the groin and another for an illegal hit on receiver James Jones.
He speared wide receiver Stephen Hill a month later, drawing a $21,000 fine. Last season, he was fined $25,000 for twisting Cam Newton and Greg Olsen’s ankles in the same game, and the aforementioned fines racked up in the last meeting with Pittsburgh.
