Raiders’ Vontaze Burfict has season-long suspension upheld

Oakland Raiders linebacker Vontaze Burfict’s enchantment of a season-long suspension for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Indianapolis Colts tight finish Jack Doyle has been denied, which means he’ll sit down out for the remainder of the 2019 season.

The league introduced the verdict of appeals officer Derrick Brooks on Wednesday. Brooks used to be appointed collectively by way of the NFL and the NFLPA.

Burfict used to be ejected in the second one quarter of the Raiders’ Week four 31-24 win overdue final month. He used to be to begin with flagged for hitting Doyle within the head around the center. However after the officers conferred, Burfict used to be thrown out.

The league mentioned that Burfict may not be paid throughout the suspension, which covers the postseason as smartly. The league cited his repeated violations of pointless roughness regulations in handing out the longest suspension ever for an on-field incident.

Consistent with ESPN Stats & Data, the suspension will value Burfict greater than $1.1 million in wage and in line with sport energetic roster bonuses.

NFL vp of soccer operations Jon Runyan wrote a letter to Burfict explaining the verdict when the suspension used to be introduced on Sept. 30.

“There have been no mitigating instances in this play,” the letter mentioned. “Your touch used to be pointless, flagrant and will have to had been have shyed away from. To your movements, you have been penalized and disqualified from the sport. Following each and every of your earlier rule violations, you have been warned by way of me and each and every of the jointly-appointed officials that long run violations would lead to escalated duty measures. Then again, you’ve gotten persevered to flagrantly abuse regulations designated to give protection to your self and your fighters from pointless chance.”

Whilst with the Cincinnati Bengals, Burfict had one suspension lowered from 5 video games to a few video games in 2017 however used to be not able to get a discount this time. His punishment is by way of a ways the largest for an on-field play, topping the 5 video games Tennessee’s Albert Haynesworth were given in 2006 for kicking and stomping on Cowboys middle Andre Gurode’s face, resulting in 30 stitches.

Burfict used to be time and again suspended by way of the NFL for egregious hits and violating its coverage on performance-enhancers. He used to be fined ceaselessly for hits that crossed the road, maximum significantly the only to Antonio Brown’s head that helped encourage the Steelers to rally for an 18-16 playoff win within the 2015 season. That resulted in a three-game suspension to start out the 2016 season.

Burfict used to be additionally fined $112,000 final season for hits on Brown and James Conner in a sport towards Pittsburgh.

Brooks, who heard and dominated at the enchantment, performed for Raiders trainer Jon Gruden in Tampa Bay and it used to be Brooks who ended quarterback Wealthy Gannon’s profession with a then-legal helmet-to-helmet hit in 2004.

Gruden used to be requested Tuesday if the Raiders would achieve out to the NFL to “make a case” for Burfict in his enchantment.

“Sure, we are going to take a look at to do this,” Gruden mentioned on the time. “We are going to take a look at to make our case. I recognize the league’s place. They’ve a difficult task. On the identical time, we’ve got numerous self assurance that they will do what is proper. We would like Burfict again. He is already been punished. We are hoping he can go back to enjoying quickly.”

With Burfict out, Tahir Whitehead performed center linebacker because the defensive playcaller in London within the Raiders’ defeat of the Chicago Bears, and Nicholas Morrow additionally noticed prolonged time.

“They performed each play,” Gruden mentioned Tuesday. “They did not come off the sphere. They performed nice. That does not undermine that we omit Vontaze, his management and his enjoy, play making and all that stuff. Nick and Whitehead, they did not come off the sphere the opposite night time. They performed each unmarried play. Morrow had an interception. I feel Whitehead did an excellent task of operating the display. The ones guys deserve credit score.”

Data from ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez and The Related Press used to be used on this document.