Burfict suspended three games by NFL

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000621200/article/vontaze-burfict-suspended-three-games-by-nfl

Good. Maybe Cincy will grow some balls and end his NFL career.

Good, about time. He clearly is out to end careers of steelers.

NFLPA will challenge the suspension as another manifest injustice by the league office, at which point I hope Ben, Brown, Maxx Williams of the Ravens, Greg Olsen of the Panthers and Cam Newton tell the union it represents them as well and not just Burfict

Greg Olsen was calling for Burfict to be suspended in October 2014

As the saying goes, fish rots from the head down - this was Marvin Lewis after Burfict twisted the ankles of Olsen and Cam Newton after they scored

When asked about Burfict's antics on Sunday, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis laughed it off and likened the accusations to professional wrestling.

"No, I don't have any comment on it," Lewis said laughing. "Ankle wrenching? That sounds like the WWF."

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11696764/greg-olsen-carolina-panthers-says-vontaze-burfict-cincinnati-bengals-needs-disciplined-post-tackle-tactics

Lewis can't control his players and seems to have no regard for players safety. I've never really had much against him but his lack of control of burfict macks me think he's a piece of shit.

good. heres to cincy coming to our house the first Thursday of next season

vasteeler wrote:

good. heres to cincy coming to our house the first Thursday of next season

Yeah I'd love that. I'm not surprised he's appealing but I don't see how they can reduce it. It's not just our guys he has history with. The guy plays dirty.

No, I ant Burfict to be playing in the first game. And I want him not playing in the second game if you know what I mean.

It still amazes me how much Bengals fans are pissing and moaning. Your team played like a bunch of spoiled children, for the 2nd time against the Steelers. Enjoy your tears, classless buffoons.

Next time he should be suspended for a season

Game 4 will be against the Steelers.

The Steelers-Bengals game and the thuggish conduct of Burfict have become one of those sporting events that have crossed over from the sports pages to a national discussion

This is not a sports column - this is on the editorial page of USA Today this morning

Bengals' Burfict gets off too easy

The league has issued hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines and nine players have served suspensions, usually for a game or two, for what it calls on-field violations of player safety rules. But if the NFL were really serious about penalizing repeat offenders and discouraging vicious behavior, bad actors such as Burfict would face something harsher.

Even before Monday, Burfict had racked up more than $145,000 in fines since 2013 for what can only be called cheap shots on the field. Given that Burfict received $6.9 million in guarantees on a three-year contract extension in 2014, the fines weren't much of a deterrent.

In a game against the Baltimore Ravens a week earlier, Burfict executed a violent blow to the helmet of Ravens rookie tight end Maxx Williams. After that play, Burfict shouldn’t have even been on the field in Saturday’s game, which, by the way, the Bengals lost 18-16, after Burfict’s penalized hit on Brown helped open the way for the game-winning Pittsburgh field goal.

If the NFL wanted to send the right message, Burfict would have been suspended for far longer than the first three weeks of the 2016 regular season.

Link to full editorial

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2016/01/11/vontaze-burfict-nfl-concussion-protocol-editorials-debates/78648192/

Burfict is a marked man going forward

Even Ravens fans agree with us:

http://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/2016/1/10/10743956/bengals-linebacker-vontaze-burfict-should-be-banned-from-the-nfl

Does anyone doubt that Goodell will reduce this suspension to 1 game on appeal? I don't. Ol' Rog is probably having Burfict over for dinner this weekend for targeting Steeler players.

Buddha Bus wrote:

Does anyone doubt that Goodell will reduce this suspension to 1 game on appeal? I don't. Ol' Rog is probably having Burfict over for dinner this weekend for targeting Steeler players.

It will get knocked down from 3 games to 2 - same as Bell served for smoking a joint

As I posted above, my question is whether the players Burfict has attempted to injure (and their agents who do not want those commissions to quit rolling in?) will tell the NFLPA that the victimized players' interests (e.g. - not having sociopaths end their careers with illegal hits) should be represented by their union as well during any appeal

Atlanta Dan wrote:

Buddha Bus wrote:

Does anyone doubt that Goodell will reduce this suspension to 1 game on appeal? I don't. Ol' Rog is probably having Burfict over for dinner this weekend for targeting Steeler players.

It will get knocked down from 3 games to 2 - same as Bell served for smoking a joint

Makes sense. A guy who smokes some ganja to relax and laugh should probably serve a similar penalty as a miscreant scumbag looking to permanently injure athletes.

Buddha Bus wrote:

Atlanta Dan wrote:

Buddha Bus wrote:

Does anyone doubt that Goodell will reduce this suspension to 1 game on appeal? I don't. Ol' Rog is probably having Burfict over for dinner this weekend for targeting Steeler players.

It will get knocked down from 3 games to 2 - same as Bell served for smoking a joint

Makes sense. A guy who smokes some ganja to relax and laugh should probably serve a similar penalty as a miscreant scumbag looking to permanently injure athletes.

No kidding. Bell has one offense and gets a two game suspension. Burbitch has $145,000 in fines since 2013 and multiple well documented occurrences of dirty play, and attempts to injure other players, and just now in 2016 he is getting hit with a freaking 3 game suspension for trying to intentionally hurt other players... It's just mind boggling. It pisses me off. If Harrison did even one of these things he'd be suspended for 8 games.

IowaSteeler927 wrote:

Buddha Bus wrote:

Atlanta Dan wrote:

Buddha Bus wrote:

Does anyone doubt that Goodell will reduce this suspension to 1 game on appeal? I don't. Ol' Rog is probably having Burfict over for dinner this weekend for targeting Steeler players.

It will get knocked down from 3 games to 2 - same as Bell served for smoking a joint

Makes sense. A guy who smokes some ganja to relax and laugh should probably serve a similar penalty as a miscreant scumbag looking to permanently injure athletes.

No kidding. Bell has one offense and gets a two game suspension. Burbitch has $145,000 in fines since 2013 and multiple well documented occurrences of dirty play, and attempts to injure other players, and just now in 2016 he is getting hit with a freaking 3 game suspension for trying to intentionally hurt other players... It's just mind boggling. It pisses me off. If Harrison did even one of these things he'd be suspended for 8 games.

The NFL's priorities are all sorts of fucked up. This is further proof that they only pay lip service to player safety. Burfict is a rogue Frankenstein's monster running amok with Marvin Lewis playing the role of Dr. Victor Frankenstein. He created this monster and continues to enable his rampage by laughing off his behavior.

I guess Goodell and the NFL officials are the Keystone Cops in this crossover film, bumbling their way around, unable (or unwilling) to properly and effectively curtail his actions.

IowaSteeler927 wrote:

Buddha Bus wrote:

Atlanta Dan wrote:

Buddha Bus wrote:

Does anyone doubt that Goodell will reduce this suspension to 1 game on appeal? I don't. Ol' Rog is probably having Burfict over for dinner this weekend for targeting Steeler players.

It will get knocked down from 3 games to 2 - same as Bell served for smoking a joint

Makes sense. A guy who smokes some ganja to relax and laugh should probably serve a similar penalty as a miscreant scumbag looking to permanently injure athletes.

No kidding. Bell has one offense and gets a two game suspension. Burbitch has $145,000 in fines since 2013 and multiple well documented occurrences of dirty play, and attempts to injure other players, and just now in 2016 he is getting hit with a freaking 3 game suspension for trying to intentionally hurt other players... It's just mind boggling. It pisses me off. If Harrison did even one of these things he'd be suspended for 8 games.

Burfict should have been suspended after the hit on Ravens tight end Maxx Williams in week 17 (for which he received a $50,000 fine 3 weeks after racking up $70,000 in fines for his multiple cheap shots during the week 14 Steelers game).

But that blatant cheap shot on Williams did not get publicity and would have involved suspending Burfict for a playoff game. Could not have that and actually send a message that if you engage in repeated thuggish actions and your coaches cannot stop it we will even if it hurts your team's playoff chances.

But Roger had to do something after Burfict once again acted out, this time in broadcast of a playoff game that drew nationwide attention (31 million viewers - highest rated wildcard game in 4 years).

This is how Roger rolls - everything is PR rather than addressing a problem on its merits when it should be addressed

Buddha Bus wrote:

IowaSteeler927 wrote:

Buddha Bus wrote:

Atlanta Dan wrote:

Buddha Bus wrote:

Does anyone doubt that Goodell will reduce this suspension to 1 game on appeal? I don't. Ol' Rog is probably having Burfict over for dinner this weekend for targeting Steeler players.

It will get knocked down from 3 games to 2 - same as Bell served for smoking a joint

Makes sense. A guy who smokes some ganja to relax and laugh should probably serve a similar penalty as a miscreant scumbag looking to permanently injure athletes.

No kidding. Bell has one offense and gets a two game suspension. Burbitch has $145,000 in fines since 2013 and multiple well documented occurrences of dirty play, and attempts to injure other players, and just now in 2016 he is getting hit with a freaking 3 game suspension for trying to intentionally hurt other players... It's just mind boggling. It pisses me off. If Harrison did even one of these things he'd be suspended for 8 games.

The NFL's priorities are all sorts of fucked up. This is further proof that they only pay lip service to player safety. Burfict is a rogue Frankenstein's monster running amok with Marvin Lewis playing the role of Dr. Victor Frankenstein. He created this monster and continues to enable his rampage by laughing off his behavior.

I guess Goodell and the NFL officials are the Keystone Cops in this crossover film bumbling their way around unable (or unwilling) to properly and effectively curtail his actions.

It really pisses me off that Lewis doesn't take a stand against this kind of behavior. Tomlin would've benched him by now if he played for us. He'd of likely been suspended by the team for his actions. Players that act out of control like him, and cause problems, don't last long in Pittsburgh. You either fall in line and follow the Steeler way or you get cut or traded away like Santokio Holmes.

Lewis had an opportunity to sit this asshat down, and call him out for behavior detrimental to the team and he just laughs it off like you said, stating "he never went over the edge". Well I'd love to know what old Marvin's definition of "the edge" is. Does Burfict actually need to kill another player before someone finally steps up and puts a stop to him?

His punishment should be to go find a stick (it has to be large enough, too) and let Adrian Peterson go to town on him with it. No stopping until there's a lacerated scrotum.

IowaSteeler927 wrote:

Buddha Bus wrote:

IowaSteeler927 wrote:

Buddha Bus wrote:

Atlanta Dan wrote:

Buddha Bus wrote:

Does anyone doubt that Goodell will reduce this suspension to 1 game on appeal? I don't. Ol' Rog is probably having Burfict over for dinner this weekend for targeting Steeler players.

It will get knocked down from 3 games to 2 - same as Bell served for smoking a joint

Makes sense. A guy who smokes some ganja to relax and laugh should probably serve a similar penalty as a miscreant scumbag looking to permanently injure athletes.

No kidding. Bell has one offense and gets a two game suspension. Burbitch has $145,000 in fines since 2013 and multiple well documented occurrences of dirty play, and attempts to injure other players, and just now in 2016 he is getting hit with a freaking 3 game suspension for trying to intentionally hurt other players... It's just mind boggling. It pisses me off. If Harrison did even one of these things he'd be suspended for 8 games.

The NFL's priorities are all sorts of fucked up. This is further proof that they only pay lip service to player safety. Burfict is a rogue Frankenstein's monster running amok with Marvin Lewis playing the role of Dr. Victor Frankenstein. He created this monster and continues to enable his rampage by laughing off his behavior.

I guess Goodell and the NFL officials are the Keystone Cops in this crossover film bumbling their way around unable (or unwilling) to properly and effectively curtail his actions.

It really pisses me off that Lewis doesn't take a stand against this kind of behavior. Tomlin would've benched him by now if he played for us. He'd of likely been suspended by the team for his actions. Players that act out of control like him, and cause problems, don't last long in Pittsburgh. You either fall in line and follow the Steeler way or you get cut or traded away like Santokio Holmes.

Lewis had an opportunity to sit this asshat down, and call him out for behavior detrimental to the team and he just laughs it off like you said, stating "he never went over the edge". Well I'd love to know what old Marvin's definition of "the edge" is. Does Burfict actually need to kill another player before someone finally steps up and puts a stop to him?

Would he really? Coughlin didn't bench OBL. Lewis didn't bench Barfict (misspelling intentional). Rivera didn't bench Norman. And that's all this year.

Go back in times past and look at some of the other rough and dirtier players, and those that are perceived to be: Cortland Finnagan, Rodney Harrison, Bill Romanawski, . Even our own Hines Ward and James Harrison are sometimes perceived to be dirty players. Very rarely, if at all, were they benched. Coaches play to win, and utilize the players they have to win, regardless of reputation and actions. This is why the NFL steps in and issues suspensions.

Pretend for a second it was AB causing issues for the Steelers. Can you imagine if Tomlin benched AB in a playoff game, which caused the Steelers to lose? The fan base would have been up in arms about how Tomlin lost the team and the game. Fans (including myself at times...still not 100% sure if we've hit the ceiling with what Tomlin can do, but that's a different topic for a different thread) want to run him off for poor personnel decisions.

Bottom line, as much as we like to have thought Barfict should have been benched, you keep your best players in the game. Lewis was doing what coaches do: defending his players.

jak341 wrote:

IowaSteeler927 wrote:

Buddha Bus wrote:

IowaSteeler927 wrote:

Buddha Bus wrote:

Atlanta Dan wrote:

Buddha Bus wrote:

Does anyone doubt that Goodell will reduce this suspension to 1 game on appeal? I don't. Ol' Rog is probably having Burfict over for dinner this weekend for targeting Steeler players.

It will get knocked down from 3 games to 2 - same as Bell served for smoking a joint

Makes sense. A guy who smokes some ganja to relax and laugh should probably serve a similar penalty as a miscreant scumbag looking to permanently injure athletes.

No kidding. Bell has one offense and gets a two game suspension. Burbitch has $145,000 in fines since 2013 and multiple well documented occurrences of dirty play, and attempts to injure other players, and just now in 2016 he is getting hit with a freaking 3 game suspension for trying to intentionally hurt other players... It's just mind boggling. It pisses me off. If Harrison did even one of these things he'd be suspended for 8 games.

The NFL's priorities are all sorts of fucked up. This is further proof that they only pay lip service to player safety. Burfict is a rogue Frankenstein's monster running amok with Marvin Lewis playing the role of Dr. Victor Frankenstein. He created this monster and continues to enable his rampage by laughing off his behavior.

I guess Goodell and the NFL officials are the Keystone Cops in this crossover film bumbling their way around unable (or unwilling) to properly and effectively curtail his actions.

It really pisses me off that Lewis doesn't take a stand against this kind of behavior. Tomlin would've benched him by now if he played for us. He'd of likely been suspended by the team for his actions. Players that act out of control like him, and cause problems, don't last long in Pittsburgh. You either fall in line and follow the Steeler way or you get cut or traded away like Santokio Holmes.

Lewis had an opportunity to sit this asshat down, and call him out for behavior detrimental to the team and he just laughs it off like you said, stating "he never went over the edge". Well I'd love to know what old Marvin's definition of "the edge" is. Does Burfict actually need to kill another player before someone finally steps up and puts a stop to him?

Would he really? Coughlin didn't bench OBL. Lewis didn't bench Barfict (misspelling intentional). Rivera didn't bench Norman. And that's all this year.

Go back in times past and look at some of the other rough and dirtier players, and those that are perceived to be: Cortland Finnagan, Rodney Harrison, Bill Romanawski, . Even our own Hines Ward and James Harrison are sometimes perceived to be dirty players. Very rarely, if at all, were they benched. Coaches play to win, and utilize the players they have to win, regardless of reputation and actions. This is why the NFL steps in and issues suspensions.

Pretend for a second it was AB causing issues for the Steelers. Can you imagine if Tomlin benched AB in a playoff game, which caused the Steelers to lose? The fan base would have been up in arms about how Tomlin lost the team and the game. Fans (including myself at times...still not 100% sure if we've hit the ceiling with what Tomlin can do, but that's a different topic for a different thread) want to run him off for poor personnel decisions.

Bottom line, as much as we like to have thought Barfict should have been benched, you keep your best players in the game. Lewis was doing what coaches do: defending his players.

None of those guys were dirty like Burfict is dirty. They all played a physical form of football. Cortland Finnegan might be a bit of an exception but he's toned it down quite a bit since he got his ass kicked by Andre Johnson. Those guys were perceived to be dirty because of hits, made during the game, between the whistles. A lot of the crap Burfict pulls is after the whistle, extra curricular stuff intended to senselessly injure other players outside of the whistles. James Harrison for example is seen as dirty by a lot of people, but he never twisted ankles, spit on anyone, or kneed injured players while laying on top of them. He hit people in the game, and paid the price for it. He also adjusted his game to the modern rules. Burfict has made no attempt whatsoever to adjust his play, his attitude, or his overall behavior. Shazier apologized to Bernard for celebrating while he was hurt.... Burfict never apologized to Bell, at least not to my knowledge. Guys like Burfict, or Suh are the truly dirty players in the modern NFL, and the NFL needs to start cracking the whip on them instead of letting them get away with it, or slapping them on the wrist 50 times with weak ass fines before they finally hit them with a piddly suspension. Crack down early, and often, and there would be less of this kind of behavior and the game would be better because of it.

Perhaps you're right about playing to win,  but I really do think at this point Burfict would of been reeled in if he were here. Look at Rashard Mendenhall. He got selfish and he got benched. I don't think they'd treat the antics of Burfict any differently.

jak341 wrote:

IowaSteeler927 wrote:

Lewis had an opportunity to sit this asshat down, and call him out for behavior detrimental to the team and he just laughs it off like you said, stating "he never went over the edge". Well I'd love to know what old Marvin's definition of "the edge" is. Does Burfict actually need to kill another player before someone finally steps up and puts a stop to him?

Would he really? Coughlin didn't bench OBL. Lewis didn't bench Barfict (misspelling intentional). Rivera didn't bench Norman. And that's all this year.

Go back in times past and look at some of the other rough and dirtier players, and those that are perceived to be: Cortland Finnagan, Rodney Harrison, Bill Romanawski, . Even our own Hines Ward and James Harrison are sometimes perceived to be dirty players. Very rarely, if at all, were they benched. Coaches play to win, and utilize the players they have to win, regardless of reputation and actions. This is why the NFL steps in and issues suspensions.

Pretend for a second it was AB causing issues for the Steelers. Can you imagine if Tomlin benched AB in a playoff game, which caused the Steelers to lose? The fan base would have been up in arms about how Tomlin lost the team and the game. Fans (including myself at times...still not 100% sure if we've hit the ceiling with what Tomlin can do, but that's a different topic for a different thread) want to run him off for poor personnel decisions.

Bottom line, as much as we like to have thought Barfict should have been benched, you keep your best players in the game. Lewis was doing what coaches do: defending his players.

For better or worse Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic made that argument this morning

http://es.pn/1RIVuBe (could not figure out how to embed video link)

After Golic read out Burfict's rap sheet to justify why a suspension was being imposed, Greenberg argued that Lewis could not sit Burfict because the Bengals "were playing for their season" and that Burfict probably was the best player on the defense.  Golic then said until Burfict went into Brown "he was not costing you yards."

As is often the case with the NFL, Al Davis sums it up



Which is why the league should have suspended Burfict after the Maxx Williams hit in week 17

trivia question -

name the only NFL player who has had to serve a longer suspension for his on field actions than Vontaze Burfict...