Oakland Raiders linebacker Vontaze Burfict has been suspended for the rest of the 2019 season for his helmet-to-helmet hit Sunday on Indianapolis Colts tight end Jack Doyle, the league announced.
Burfict was ejected in the second quarter of Sunday's 31-24 win for the Raiders. He was initially flagged for hitting Doyle in the head across the middle. But after the officials conferred, Burfict was thrown out.
The league said that he will be not be paid during the suspension, which covers the postseason as well. The league cited repeated violations of unnecessary roughness rules.
NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan's wrote a letter to Burfict explaining the decision.
"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."
The 29-year-old Burfict received 13 suspensions and fines in seven seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals before signing with the Raiders as a free agent this offseason. Two of the suspensions were for illegal hits, totaling six games.
This is Burfict's first season with the Raiders, and he was named a team captain.
"It's a tough decision, it's a tough call. I think it was a flag," Raiders coach Jon Gruden said Sunday. "It was very well-documented that the league was going to review those plays this year in New York City. So, that's what happened and I'll wait to hear what their reasoning was. But it was a penalty, he went in there with his head down, it was called and, unfortunately for us, it was an ejection."
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
"First down inside the 10. A score here will put us in the Super Bowl. Jeudy is far to the left as Njoku settles into the slot. Tillman is flanked out wide to the right. Judkins and Ford are split in the backfield as Flacco takes the snap ... Here we go."
He is a thug and should've been suspended long ago ...
John 3:16 Jesus said "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
Hats off to the NFL for ejecting him and his overdue suspension. Fines failed, penalties were ignored, and his potentially crippling behavior continued unabated. Some games it got more bizarre as the game wound down, and it cost them in their playoff hopes.
Just a bad player who has given The Game a black eye. See ya!
"Every responsibility implies opportunity, and every opportunity implies responsibility." Otis Allen Glazebrook, 1880
Hats off to the NFL for ejecting him and his overdue suspension. Fines failed, penalties were ignored, and his potentially crippling behavior continued unabated. Some games it got more bizarre as the game wound down, and it cost them in their playoff hopes.
Just a bad player who has given The Game a black eye. See ya!
I agree. CTE is no joke, you just dont go purposely ruin people's health like that. He can GET OUT.
He should not have been suspended He should have been permanently banned
Just my 2 cents
Mine Too
John 3:16 Jesus said "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
Good. His time in the NFL is done. Nobody will sign him next year.
In a strange twist of irony (since a lot of people point back to "the hit"), part of the reason this may be true is the soap opera that was AB this season. He helped to cement the fact that the risk/reward is not worth the distraction. In other words... if it looks like it and smells like it, don't dare step in it... And if BB says it is true, it becomes law.
I disagree. At most Burfict should maybe be fined and out a game. The whole season? That’s ridiculous!
All Burfict was doing is playing football. What Myles Garret did to that Jets QB Siemen was far worse, Garret shelved that poor kid for the year ffs!
Doyle was in the process of getting up he was going to run with the ball, Burfict had to make the hit there. Did he go a little overboard? Sure but it’s the heat of the moment you got OL out there trying to knock your head off these LB and DL are just trying to survive.
Furthermore, look after the play in the links below Burfict pats the guy and Doyle gets up and smiles. They made far more out of this than it is.
Bill Romanowski agrees.
Sissies are ruining football. Don’t give me this CTE BS. No one is forcing these guys to play football. Just like boxing these guys know they are going to be hit in the head. They do it for the money they can leave at any time.
Burfict as much as I don’t like Bengals or Former Bengals has cleaned up his game quite a bit. He goes overboard in the heat of the moment sometimes but he is playing LB the way it was meant to be played. He would be right up there with the likes of Pat Swilling, Sam Mills, Vaughn Johnson, Ricky Jackson, Clay Matthews, Cornelius Bennett, Greg Lloyd, etc if he played 20 years ago.
It’s only a matter of time till the NFL is a Flag football guys can’t even play anymore. All Burfict did was stick a receiver and the guy was able to cover up the fact Doyle laughed about it just shows how overblown this whole thing is.
I wonder what Browns fans would say if the suspended Garret for the year for a hit far worse that shelved QB Trevor Simean....the NFL is becoming the sissy league.
I disagree. At most Burfict should maybe be fined and out a game. The whole season? That’s ridiculous!
All Burfict was doing is playing football. What Myles Garret did to that Jets QB Siemen was far worse, Garret shelved that poor kid for the year ffs!
Doyle was in the process of getting up he was going to run with the ball, Burfict had to make the hit there. Did he go a little overboard? Sure but it’s the heat of the moment you got OL out there trying to knock your head off these LB and DL are just trying to survive.
Furthermore, look after the play in the links below Burfict pats the guy and Doyle gets up and smiles. They made far more out of this than it is.
Bill Romanowski agrees.
Sissies are ruining football. Don’t give me this CTE BS. No one is forcing these guys to play football. Just like boxing these guys know they are going to be hit in the head. They do it for the money they can leave at any time.
Burfict as much as I don’t like Bengals or Former Bengals has cleaned up his game quite a bit. He goes overboard in the heat of the moment sometimes but he is playing LB the way it was meant to be played. He would be right up there with the likes of Pat Swilling, Sam Mills, Vaughn Johnson, Ricky Jackson, Clay Matthews, Cornelius Bennett, Greg Lloyd, etc if he played 20 years ago.
It’s only a matter of time till the NFL is a Flag football guys can’t even play anymore. All Burfict did was stick a receiver and the guy was able to cover up the fact Doyle laughed about it just shows how overblown this whole thing is.
I wonder what Browns fans would say if the suspended Garret for the year for a hit far worse that shelved QB Trevor Simean....the NFL is becoming the sissy league.
If it was a one time thing, sure, a fine. But Burfict has a history of dirty hit to the head among other things. He was suspended based off history moreso than this one hit. But you know that, you just like to troll.
In tomorrow's episode, KOB will share insight on how Mahomes' meteoric rise is misplaced and provide proof that Nick Chubb is just another Hermon Fontenot...
I have him/her on ignore. I’ve read too many posts like that to not want to read them going forward. Even on talk shows where one person is intentionally taking the other side, the “pro Vontaze” person is saying he should only be suspended 8 games. Just playing football? Please.
“...Iguodala to Curry, back to Iguodala, up for the layup! Oh! Blocked by James! LeBron James with the rejection!”
I always thought Burfict was talented and a hard player, but let emotions get in the way of his game. He never seemed to calm down, the way Suh eventually did. As result he is out of the game, and deservedly so.
The Cleveland Browns - WE KNOW QUARTERBACKS ( Look at how many we've had ... )
KOB might be in concussion protocol then? I am glad he is out. No player should be risking injury or crippling cheap shots. No reason to "defend" VB when he doesn't control himself.
"Every responsibility implies opportunity, and every opportunity implies responsibility." Otis Allen Glazebrook, 1880
Ya, ... Now where's the suspension for dude who choked the Browns receiver in the last game.
Careful what you wish for.. OBJ threw a right hand punch in that altercation...
Correct. Watching the replay, the punch was wrong, no doubt, but it does seem what's his name was holding and grabbing. No excuse for a punch, agreed.
But punching a guy in his football helmet is not as bad as choking a guy. IMO
I agree punching someone isn't as bad as trying to choke someone out but it's a very dumb reaction especially when your a WR.I'm just happy he didn't break any bones in his hand.
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." - Winston Churchill
Ya, ... Now where's the suspension for dude who choked the Browns receiver in the last game.
Careful what you wish for.. OBJ threw a right hand punch in that altercation...
laughing, Ha, watch this tangent I'm about to go on, aww shoot!
Your statements.. evidentiary perception of my love for OBJ's active-ness and thus non- suspensionness is based on hearsay (in your own minds perception), and does not neccessarilly reflect my feelings on the matter, and while not intending to entirely disavow excitement for OBJ's game, don't preassume (backside-hurtedness) on my part if he should miss significant time. HaHA laughing.
Careful what you wish for?
HE FREAKIN CHOKED THE GUY ON THE GROUND! The Ref is seen pushing him to break it up, now get outta here with your suggestion talk.
They should suspend that nameless nobody from Baltimore as long as they would anybody else who starts a fight and chokes a player!
The NFL has upheld Oakland Raiders linebacker Vontaze Burfict's season-long suspension for his head-to-head hit on Indianapolis Colts tight end Jack Doyle in Week 4, the league announced Wednesday.
Hall of Fame linebacker and NFL appeals officer Derrick Brooks heard Burfict's appeal. Raiders head coach Jon Gruden and quarterback Derek Carr both spoke on Burfict's behalf at the meeting, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN. Burfict's camp reportedly emphasized the fact he hadn't been flagged in over 190 plays leading up to the suspension.
Burfict's hit - which earned him an ejection - did not force Doyle from the game, and the tight end has not been evaluated for a concussion. But video recently surfaced showing a second dirty hit by Burfict in that game, a play which went unpenalized and may have affected the appeal process
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." - Winston Churchill
"First down inside the 10. A score here will put us in the Super Bowl. Jeudy is far to the left as Njoku settles into the slot. Tillman is flanked out wide to the right. Judkins and Ford are split in the backfield as Flacco takes the snap ... Here we go."