Throughout the history of the NFL, there has always been a Public Enemy No. 1 when it comes to dirty play. Whether it was the Oakland Raiders teams of the 70s (or every team from that era), Conrad Dobler or more modern dirty players such as Bill Romanowski, Rodney Harrison, and Ndamukong Suh, there has always been a particularly dirty player or two out there to stir up the league.
Currently, Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict is filling that role as the NFL’s dirtiest and most hated player. Burfict is also filling that role well as after he was suspended for the first three games of the season for his headshot in the final seconds of the AFC Wild Card Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers; the much-maligned veteran is once again back in the headlines over his dirty play.
Burfict was back to his old ways on Sunday against the New England Patriots with two plays that have him on the hot seat this week. First, Burfict tried to take out tight end Martellus Bennett with a dirty low bridge of his knee from behind.
Missed this yesterday. Burfict is seriously gonna end someone's career with 1 of these… https://t.co/mB3nabIbaV
— College Sports Only (@CollegeSportsO) October 17, 2016
Then, Burfict stomped on running back LeGarrette Blount in a pile near the goal-line to double up on the foul play. The stomp drawing Burfict a $75,000 fine from the league this week as the NFL once again cracked down on one of the league’s least popular players.
Vontaze Burfict has been fined $75,000 for his stomp of LeGarrette Blount. pic.twitter.com/Gq57Mq7oWf
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 19, 2016
To some in the national media, Burfict’s fine is not enough as many have called for his head this week after these recent transgressions. The takes have poured as many have claimed the NFL hasn’t brought the hammer down as hard as they should on a player who has made clear plays with the intent to injure the opponent.
However, the NFL has been tougher than they usually are in regards to dirty play when it comes to Burfict. In fact, Burfict’s three-game suspension to start the season was the longest suspension for on the field play on record from the league. That stat alone proves the NFL’s harsh stance on Burfict, a player who the league is perhaps tougher on than any player in the history of the league when it comes to punishment for on the field discipline.
The same can be said for Burfict when it comes to fines from the league as he ranks near the top in that category as well. Burfict has been fined over $700,000 in his career, a number that reflects just how harsh the league has been with him. The NFL has never handled Burfict with kid gloves, which makes it hard to suggest that the league can do anything more than to treat each issue on a case by case basis.
To not handle Burfict in the same manner of the rest of the league would be unfair to both the player as well as the Cincinnati Bengals for the NFL. There is something to be said about making a statement with Burfict, but there is little the NFL can do after suspending him for the first three games of the season and once again slapping him with a fine this week.
The calls for a significant punishment for Burfict are valid as his dirty play has become less acceptable in a league that wants to become safer for the players, but to ask the NFL to hand another ban out over a stomp and a low hit goes against precedent. Precedent the NFL needs to keep if they want to remain truly fair in their disciplinary process and not open the door for a witch hunt against certain players who have worse reputations than others.
Burfict has a short leash already from the league, so what more can you ask for from the league office? Would it be truly fair to ban a player for an extended period for consistently dirty with such a precedent never set in the history of the league? The answer is no, even if the league has made it clear they have moved into the direction of player safety and less physical play. They still simply cannot decide to pick and choose which players are too dirty and which players are just physical enough based off of reputation.
Burfict will be under the microscope for the rest of his career because of his play, but the NFL did the right thing this week with the fine instead of a second suspension. If Burfict’s play continues to touch along the lines of over the top, a decision on a lengthy ban may be needed. But for now, the league can’t blackball a player for the dirty play they have allowed and lightly punished for decades. Hate him or condone him, Burfict’s play is in line with what the NFL has allowed in the league forever, which makes it hard to argue that it would be fair to make an example out of one player now.
