Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict lost his appeal of his three-game suspension and, according to NBC Sports, will no serve the second-longest suspension ever for on-field actions.
Burfict drew his suspension for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown in the Bengals’ AFC Wild Card matchup against Pittsburgh. Brown was concussed and the ensuing penalty put Pittsburgh in a position to hit the game-winning field goal. Thus, due to his status as a repeat offender and reputation as a dirty player overall, Burfict was suspended.
But who owns the longest suspension for on-field actions? That would be former Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, who was banned five games in 2006 after stomping on the head of Dallas Cowboys center Andre Gurode.
It just goes to show that there is a difference between being a heavy hitter and a dirty player, and Burfict falls into the latter category. The only other players to draw more than one game’s suspension for on-field actions are defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who was suspended two games for unnecessary roughness on then-Packers offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith, and safety Brandon Meriweather who was suspended for two games twice for helmet-to-helmet hits.
Thus, Burfict did the crime and now must do the time. Hopefully, this suspension serves as something of a wakeup call for him.
