Vontaze Burfict had fallen out of the news cycle after his season-long suspension was upheld, but thanks to Myles Garrett, the Oakland Raiders linebacker finds himself back in the spotlight. Burfict was the recipient of the longest suspension for on-field conduct in NFL history and Garrett will probably be a close second when it’s all said and done. It was clear that Burfict and the Raiders weren’t happy with the NFL’s decision to suspend him for the season, but due to his history, he didn’t have much leverage during his appeal.
Burfict recently spoke to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur to finally give his side of the story and didn’t mince words at all.
“I met Roger Goodell in New York and he was a total b***h,” Burfict said. “He was a b***h. He didn’t let anybody speak, he rushed us in and out of the meeting. The meeting was bulls**t. He already had the suspension in his hand.”
While Goodell isn’t the most popular figure in the NFL, it was really ill-advised for Burfict to use those words to describe the man who holds his fate in his hands. Just because the linebacker was handed a 12-game suspension doesn’t mean the NFL has to reinstate him once it is fully served. This is really going to hurt his chances of playing another game.
Vontaze Burfict Sounds off on Myles Garrett Fight
Burfict has been responsible for some very dirty plays over his career, but nothing he has done has ever come close to Myles Garrett trying to bash Mason Rudolph in the head with his own helmet. The linebacker talked about the fight and compared it to the hit that got him suspended.
“The NFL had to suspend somebody for that last night, since that wasn’t a football act,” Burfict told The Athletic on Friday. “My suspension was a football act. I was hitting somebody. I wasn’t taking a helmet off and swinging it at somebody.”
The act of a player taking a helmet and trying to hit another player with it has only happened a small number of times in the NFL and it’s definitely not something that is going to be tolerated in the modern NFL. Burfict didn’t have a lot of interest in watching the fight and defended himself for the hits many would deem “dirty.”
“I don’t want [my daughters] to see that,” said Burfict. “Because that’s not what I do. That’s not part of football. I hit people on the field during the game. And they say that’s dirty, yeah, whatever. I get hit, too, during the games, so don’t complain. It’s football, bro.”
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Burfict Is Eyeing NFL Return
Burfict calling the NFL commissioner profane words isn’t going to help his case to get back into the league. It also doesn’t help that he could easily be one ugly hit away from a lifetime ban. That’s not the kind of risk NFL teams are keen on taking. Nevertheless, Burfict seems confident that he’ll be back.
“Yeah, I’m coming back. The NFL can’t kick me out like that. They are going to have to kill me. I am too strong for that.”
Some of the Raiders coaches were not happy with the suspension Burfict received and voiced that displeasure. It’s possible that the team will welcome him back, but they also understand the risk that it would involve. If he has any chance of landing with another NFL team, it’s probably going to be the Raiders. They’ll need to have a backup plan in case he finds himself in trouble once again.
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Raiders Player Blasts Roger Goodell in NSFW Rant