Marvin Lewis defends Vontaze Burfict after stomp on Pats RB, $75k fine
Marvin Lewis made his stance clear. He believes Vontaze Burfict did nothing wrong Sunday against New England.
The NFL disagreed. The league levied a $75K fine against the Bengals’ maligned linebacker on Wednesday to prove their point.
The league fined Burfict solely for the alleged stomping on the leg of LeGarrette Blount following the final touchdown of the 35-17 loss to the Patriots. This was not connected to a possible hit to the knee of Martellus Bennett earlier in the same drive. Burfict will appeal.
Bengals' Vontaze Burfict fined $75,000 for stomp on LeGarrette Blount
On the play in question, Burfict charged into the pile after the score and appeared to spike the back of Blount’s leg, but no visual evidence showed the actual contact.
That’s where Lewis’ defense begins.
“I don’t think he meant to do anything,” the coach said. “I’ve been through it back and forth as big as this board behind me. Hell if I can see who steps where. He tried to step through and go help the teammate that somebody has his hand on his teammates’ facemask pushing him in the face. That’s what he’s trying to get to.”
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Lewis said he believes “100%” of the reaction stems from Burfict’s reputation rather than the actual acts.
The reputation is both expansive and expensive. This marked the eighth time in 53 career NFL games Burfict was fined. Counting lost game checks due to his three-game suspension earlier this year, those fines total $805,400.
- Week 3, 2013: $10K — striking Packers’ Ryan Taylor in the groin
- Week 3, 2013: $21K — hit on defenseless player, Packers’ James Jones
- Week 8, 2013: $21K — spearing New York Jets’ WR Stephen Hill
- Week 6, 2014: $25K — ankle twisting Cam Newton and Greg Olsen
- Week 13, 2015: $69.4K — three separate unsportsmanlike incidents vs. Steelers
- Week 17, 2015: $50K — hit to defenseless tight end Maxx Williams away from play
- Wildcard Playoffs, 2016: $534K -- three-game suspension — multiple violations of player-safety rules including hit on Antonio Brown
- Week 6, 2016: $75K -- stomping on leg of LeGarrette Blount
Burfict's history and reputation are part of his challenge in this league now.
“That’s a thing he knows he has to realize all the time that way so it’s not the national fury all the time of what’s going on,” Lewis said. “Just play football. Our guys aren’t going to talk about it. As I instructed everybody if they have any questions they can talk to me about it.”
However, Bengals players couldn’t resist talking about a topic trending across league circles this week. Carlos Dunlap tried to hold himself back for a second, but wanted to point out the types of comments overheard from referees during Sunday’s game.
“There was one point in the game … nah, I ain’t gonna say that…it was just like…nah, I’m going to say it: There was one time when the ref came to us and told us to ‘have 55 calm down something-something.’ But he wasn’t in the middle of the thing when it happened,” Dunlap said. “I was just like, see that. I was trying to tell him that’s how they look. When stuff go on, they’re going to assume you were close by or involved. And he wasn’t on that time. When you have a history of that, that’s going to happen and that’s why you just gotta be aware of that and try to stay out of the middle of things and just play football that way.”
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Close friend Adam Jones sees the targeting, too, just as clear as the effect of the league’s disciplinary hand.
“He’s (targeted), but everybody knows what it is,” Jones said. “At a certain point you just have to go play football and try not to let it bother you the way you play. Me talking to Tez, it does bother him. I’ve never seen him go low on anybody. It is what is, you get patted on the back when you do good and the first time you have a heated situation everybody throw you under the world.”
Jones pointed out more players on the Bengals (2-4) need to play with the passion displayed by the linebacker, while adding the need to control those emotions at certain times. His view of Burfict differs from most across the league. He views him as a rare breed of player in this NFL.
“The man is being paid to be a hired hitman,” Jones said. “There’s only a couple linebackers that plays with that type of aggression. Those are the great ones. Go back and look at it, I’m not saying Ray Lewis was a dirty player or anything, but him and Vontaze have the same characteristics. Exactly the same. It’s just Ray Lewis grew up and found another piece of life and changed his way about doing things. Vontaze young, a 26-year-old. He’ll learn.”
Dehner also writes for the Cincinnati Enquirer, part of the USA TODAY Network.
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