Vontaze Burfict, a former Cincinnati Bengals linebacker, is hated by a sizable portion, if not the majority, of NFL fans. He is recognized as one of the dirtiest players in league history.
Prior to his junior season at Arizona State, Burfict was regarded as one of the top players available at his position in the 2012 NFL Draft. However, uneven play, a bad performance at the Combine, and off-the-field issues caused him to go undrafted.
Tony Pauline of Sports Illustrated described him as “a loose cannon both on and off the field.”
Vontaze Burfict ultimately contributed to that narrative throughout his seven years with the Bengals and one year with the Raiders. Although he led Cincinnati in tackles as a rookie and was chosen a second-team All-Pro during his second season, his career was overshadowed by dirty play.
The 6-foot-1, 255-pound linebacker was suspended for 22 games for 14 different offenses, costing him more than $5.3 million in fines and pay forfeiture.
His first suspension was for what is widely regarded as his most infamous hit. Burfict went helmet-to-helmet with Antonio Brown during a 2015 wild card game.
The great bulk of sanctions resulted from games versus Pittsburgh. Apparently, this was not a coincidence.
Vontaze Burfict was on the hunt for heads.
Burfict reportedly admitted to being purposefully violent and filthy against his AFC North rivals during a broadcast with famed video game caster ‘Sketch.’ He appears to wear all of the negative episodes as a badge of pride, whereas most people regard him as a villain.
There you have it!
Burfict understood what he was doing. One of the most notorious villains in NFL history intentionally targeted Steelers players after the play.
It wasn’t a case where he lost control of his body or failed to pull up before landing a hard hit after the whistle. It was purposeful.
