NFL Upholds Vontaze Burfict’s Suspension

Vontaze Burfict‘s appeal was unsuccessful. The Raiders linebacker will remain suspended for the rest of the 2019 season, the league announced. Appeals officer Derrick Brooks upheld the ban Wednesday.

The NFL suspended Burfict for the Raiders’ final 12 games, citing a pattern of on-field actions — one that hit a breaking point when Burfict leveled Jack Doyle during Week 4’s Raiders-Colts game.

This may end Burfict’s Raiders tenure and run in the NFL, considering the number of suspensions the longtime Bengals linebacker has racked up. Burfict has not played more than 11 games in a season since 2013. The former UDFA has run into 14 fines or suspensions since coming into the league in 2012.

After the Bengals released Burfict this offseason, he caught on with former Cincinnati DC Paul Guenther in Oakland. Burfict will not collect the remainder of his one-year, $1.15MM base salary from the Raiders, who went on to upset the Colts after Burfict’s ejection and defeated the Bears in London without him. Tahir Whitehead and Nicholas Morrow played in Oakland’s nickel set against Chicago.

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