1 Raiders:
Linebacker Vontaze Burfict remains suspended for season as his appeal is denied.
Raiders linebacker Vontaze Burfict remains suspended for the season after his appeal to reduce his NFL punishment was denied.
Burfict was suspended Sept. 30 following a helmettohelmet hit on Colts tight end Jack Doyle in Week 4. The suspension was upheld by appeals officer Derrick Brooks and was jointly approved by the NFL and the NFL Players’ Association, who heard Burfict’s case Tuesday.
According to ESPN, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden and quarterback Derek Carr both spoke on Burfict’s behalf at the appeal, which emphasized that Burfict, who has a history of being disciplined for his onfield acts, has been a good teammate and tried to change his playing style.
Burfict, 29, signed a oneyear deal with the Raiders this spring and was named one of their five team captains before the season.
This is the fourth consecutive season Burfict has been suspended. In 2016 he was sidelined for three games for violations of safetyrelated playing rules and three games in 2017 for a hit in a preseason game against Kansas City. He was suspended four games in 2018 for violating the NFL’s policy on performanceenhancing drugs.
On Sept. 30, the NFL said it had suspended Burfict again for “repeated violations of unnecessary roughness rules.” In a letter to Burfict, NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan wrote that “there were no mitigating circumstances” on the play where Burfict hit Doyle and that “contact was unnecessary, flagrant and should have been avoided.”
“Following each of your previous rule violations, you were warned by me and each of the jointly appointed appeal officers that future violations would result in escalated accountability measures,” Runyan wrote. “However, you have continued to flagrantly abuse rules designated to protect yourself and your opponents from unnecessary risk.”
ESPN reported that Burfict’s appeal Tuesday noted other violent hits that occurred around the NFL in Week 4 and went unpunished, as well as Doyle’s reaction to Burfict’s hit after the game.
“I just got tackled,” Doyle told reporters. “I’m sure it looked worse than it was. I didn’t really feel anything from it. My helmet protected me.”
Burfict’s suspension, which covers 12 regularseason games and the postseason, is the longest punishment given for an onfield act in league history, according to NFL.com.
On Tuesday, Gruden had expressed optimism that Burfict’s suspension would be reduced.
“I respect the league’s position, I mean they have a tough job,” Gruden said. “At the same time, we have a lot of confidence that they’ll do what’s right. We want Burfict back. He’s already been punished. And we’re hoping he can return to playing soon.”
Other teammates and coaches also spoke in support of Burfict last week while the Raiders were in London. Carr told reporters Burfict’s suspension was “a little excessive,” and linebacker Tahir Whitehead described it “extremely disappointing.” Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, who previously coached Burfict in Cincinnati and was a proponent of signing him in Oakland, said of the NFL disciplining Burfict: “I just hope it’s not a bunch of cops looking for this only guy (going) 38 mph in a 30 mph zone.”
As the Raiders’ middle linebacker and defensive signalcaller, Burfict played 175 of a possible 199 defensive snaps through three games with 17 tackles. Whitehead replaced Burfict as the signalcaller and was one of just two linebackers, along with Nicholas Morrow, to play for the Raiders in their win over the Bears last Sunday. Whitehead played every defensive snap while Morrow played all but two.
Burfict would become a free agent next spring before being eligible to play again in 2020. Due to suspensions and injuries he has not played a full season since 2013 and has played no more than 11 games in a season in that span.