Former Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict is disliked by a large subset of NFL fans, if not the majority of NFL fans. He is widely regarded as one of the dirtiest players in league history.
Prior to his junior season at Arizona State, Burfict was considered one of the best players available at his position in the 2012 NFL Draft. However, inconsistent play, a poor showing at the Combine and off-the-field concerns saw him go undrafted.
Sports Illustrated’s Tony Pauline called him “a loose cannon on and off the field.”
Vontaze Burfict ultimately played right into that narrative during his seven years with the Bengals and one year with the Raiders. Although he led Cincinnati in tackles as a rookie and was named a second-team All-Pro during his second season, his career was clouded by dirty play.
The 6-foot-1, 255-pound linebacker was suspended for 22 games in total for 14 separate incidents and missed out on over $5.3 million in fines and forfeited salary.
His first suspension came after what is considered to be the most infamous hit of his career. Burfict went helmet-to-helmet with Antonio Brown during a wild card game in 2015.
I’m no doctor, but maybe Antonio Brown never recovered from this disgusting hit by Vontaze Burfict pic.twitter.com/7FKGRs9AiD
— Eric Rosenthal (@ericsports) January 2, 2022
There was also the time that he literally kicked Steelers fullback Roosevelt Nix.
Two plays in and Vontaze Burfict kicks Rosie Nix after a play. Then points at Nix for some reason. #Steelers #Bengals pic.twitter.com/lioNLDDMvX
— Josh Rowntree (@JRown32) October 22, 2017
The vast majority of punishments stemmed from games against Pittsburgh. Apparently that was not a coincidence.
Vontaze Burfict was head hunting.
Burfict recently admitted that he was intentionally violent and dirty against the AFC North rivals during a livestream with famous video game streamer ‘Sketch.’ He seems to wear all of the ugly incidents as a badge of honor where most people cast him as a villain.
There you have it!
Burfict knew what he was doing. One of the biggest villains in NFL history was targeting players on the Steelers after the play on purpose.
It wasn’t a situation where he did not control his body or neglected to pull up before laying a big hit after the whistle. It was intentional.