CINCINNATI - Vontaze Burfict is confident his five-game suspension will be reduced after his appeal Tuesday, the Bengals linebacker told Bengals.com. But a new rule may be his undoing.
WATCH Burfict (55) hit Chiefs FB Anthony Sherman in the lower right corner:
Burfict claims his hit on Kansas City Chiefs fullback Anthony Sherman was shoulder to shoulder, not helmet to helmet. The Bengals, in a statement, said it was shoulder to chest.
But that may not matter.
A new rule prohibits a player from hitting a receiver in a defenseless posture, and that's why Burfict is being suspended, an NFL spokesperson told the Associated Press.
Article 7, Section a, Part 2 says "a receiver running a pass route when the defender approaches from the side or behind" now qualifies as a defenseless player.
Burfict and the Bengals could argue that Burfict was downfield from Sherman and Sherman actually ran toward Burfict, but the NFL can still cite Burfict for unnecessary roughness under Article 6.
Article 6, Section g prohibits "unnecessarily running, diving into, cutting, or throwing the body against or on a player who (1) is out of the play or (2) should not have reasonably anticipated such contact by an opponent, before or after the ball is dead."
Article 6, Section i says a player can't use any part of his helmet or facemask "to butt, spear or ram an an opponent violently."
Sherman was cutting across the middle on a pass route, and QB Alex Smith had already thrown the ball deep downfield to another receiver when Burfict leveled Sherman. It happened within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage, so Sherman was fair game under the old rules.
But the new rules make Burfict culpable, since Sherman had his back to the quarterback and wasn't the intended receiver. Burfict could have easily avoided the hit, which knocked Sherman to the ground. The running back was slow to get up but stayed in the game.
Burfict was not penalized on the play in the Aug. 19 preseason game in Kansas City. It drew little notice at the time, since most eyes were on Smith's 36-yard pass to tight end Travis Kelce down the middle of the field.
But a player doesn't have to draw a penalty to be fined or suspended by the league.
The NFL has been cracking down on hitting so-called defenseless players as part of its emphasis on player safety, the Washington Post explains.
During the offseason, the NFL’s rule-making competition committee put a directive into effect mandating an increased emphasis on ejections and suspensions being given to players guilty of certain illegal hits in games. The measure was enacted as a point of officiating emphasis, meaning no ratification vote by the owners of the 32 NFL teams was required. The directive is aimed at illegal hits so egregious that they should bring swift and meaningful action, whether or not the offender has a history of illegal hits.
Considering that Burfict is a repeat-repeat offender, there's probably no chance of overturning the suspension. Even getting it reduced is a longshot.
“I’m crossing my fingers and hoping for the best,” Burfict told Bengals.com. "We feel like this was a legal hit. I hit him in the shoulder. I hit hard, so it may have looked like I hit him in the head, but it was the shoulder. I helped him up and he said he was good and I asked if he was good on the next series and he said, ‘Yeah, that was a legal hit.’”
Burfict was not penalized on the play in the Aug. 19 preseason game in Kansas City. It drew little notice at the time, since most eyes were on Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith's 36-yard pass to tight end Travis Kelce down the middle of the field.
The Bengals released the following statement:
“The Bengals are aware of the NFL’s letter to Vontaze regarding a play in last weekend’s game. The film shows that the hit was legal, that Vontaze engaged his opponent from the front, and that contact was shoulder-to-chest. The Club will support Vontaze in the appeal process.”
If Burfict's suspension stands, it will cost him $882,353. During his five-year NFL career, Burfict has been fined almost $800,000 and flagged 16 times for unnecessary roughness, personal fouls or roughing the passer, ESPN's Adam Schefterreported.
Burfict was suspended from the first three games of the 2016 season for numerous violations, including an illegal hit on the Steelers’ Antonio Brown that helped send the Bengals to a crushing playoff loss to the Steelers.
Cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones, who also drew a last-minute foul in that playoff game, was suspended for the 2017 opener following another arrest last January.
Despite his egregious penalties, Burfict remains the mainstay and heart of the Bengals' defense. Burfict had an interception return for a touchdown during the Bengals' preseason loss at Washington on Sunday. He picked off Kirk Cousins' pass, stiff-armed the quarterback to get into the end zone, then jumped into the stands.
But it's clear that the Bengals haven't been able to rein him in - consider Burfict's training camp tackle on teammate Gio Bernard, coming back from ACL surgery - or even get him to understand the ruies.
Burfict is entering the last year of his contract and is scheduled to become a free agent after this season.
