Time To Stop Picking On Vontaze Burfict

The Suspension Doesn’t Fit The Crime

Vontaze Burfict. The NFL’s favorite scapegoat.

He was originally suspended for 5 games, which was reduced to 3 games after an appeal – but many feel he shouldn’t be suspended at all. Vontaze has always been an extremely polarizing player, inviting either hate or love from Bengals fans and football fans alike. But something about this recent PRESEASON boondoggle just seems off.

BREAKING: Vontaze Burfict's five-game suspension has been reduced to three games. #Bengals

A post shared by Cincinnati Problems (@cincyproblems) on Aug 30, 2017 at 3:09pm PDT

The Play Was Legal (No Flag)

When you watch the play, it looks like a good football hit. The only problem? The player that got laid out wasn’t even close to where the ball was thrown.

Here's the hit the @NFL is suspending Vontaze Burfict (@King55Tez) 5 games for… SERIOUSLY?! WTF pic.twitter.com/mTCDsUwSzi

— Elite Andy Dalton (@EvilAndyDalton) August 28, 2017

Old Rule: You are allowed to make contact within 5 yards. (Sherman was hit well within this threshold.)

New Rule: You aren’t allowed to hit a “defenseless player”. (http://operations.nfl.com/the-rules/nfl-video-rulebook/defenseless-player/)

We could argue for weeks about whether Vontaze led with his shoulder or his helmet, and whether Sherman was a defenseless player or not. But one thing is clear – the punishment still doesn’t fit.