Vontaze Burfict has been suspended without pay for the first three games of the 2016 season for repeated violations of safety-related playing rules, the NFL announced. Burfict, of course, drilled Antonio Brown late in Saturday’s AFC Wild Card playoff game against the Steelers. 
Burfict, a talented linebacker, has a long history of dirty plays on his resume. His late-game hit against Brown across the middle of the field, however, drew the ire of football fans everywhere and a suspension seemed to be inevitable. His agent says that he will be appealing the decision, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Burfict has three days to formally file his appeal.
Burfict has previously been fined for safety-related violations four times in 2015, including a $50K fine for unnecessarily contacting an opponent who was out of the play in Cincinnati’s Week 17 game against the Ravens. That play, which can be viewed here, saw Maxx Williams run a route in the end zone and get drilled, even though the ball was nowhere near him.
Thanks to his concussion, Brown’s status is very much in jeopardy for the Steelers’ Sunday showdown against the Broncos.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
We all know now that this will be reduced to at most a one game suspension.
Can you say’ “JACKASS”.
That will end up being 2 games- more to come I hope – 2 steeler coaches should be fined as well. What a cheap way to win a game. Bengals should have had poise and not took the bait. It’s a shame, both teams acted like thugs and the ref’s non calls were sickening. They had no control over that game at all.
If Cincy had any guts, they’d release him.
One more non-safety related hit, and he should be banned for life. He’s gonna kill somebody one day.
Why wait for someone else to get hurt? He has no concern for player safety as evidenced by his conduct. The next player may not get back up.
Can I like that 100
As a ravens fan when I saw that hit on maxx I thought here comes pitta2.0
Too bad he’s such a scumbag, caused he’s a hell of a player.
The sad part about this is that because Burfict is a talented player, even with all his dirty plays, he’ll always find a spot on a roster. This guy seriously needs to be punished to the point where a next offense results in his banning from NFL. He’s going to seriously injure someone someday and by that point its going to be too late. He reminds almost a little bit of James Harrison, but at least Harrison didn’t play with the intention of hurting guys. Harrison might’ve played a little dirty but Burfict seems to play dirty and with the intent of hurting someone.
3 will never hold, it’ll go to 2