Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict was fined $112,000 for multiple plays that constituted unnecessary roughness in Cincinnati’s Week 6 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The plays that drew the fines included ones involving wide receiver Antonio Brown and running back James Conner during the third quarter.
Brown caught a pass over the middle and was tackled by two Bengals defenders when Burfict flew in with his right elbow, connecting with Brown’s upper body and head area. Brown was down on the turf for a few seconds and was evaluated by the team on the sideline before re-entering the game. After the game, Brown called the play a “nasty hit.”
Burfict has been fined more than $415,000 during his NFL career. The latest sanction is the 11th time he has been fined in his seven NFL seasons.
He also has been suspended twice for a total of six games, including a three-game ban for a hit on Brown during a 2016 playoff game.
Steelers players consistently praise Burfict’s ability as a player but say they wish he would tone down the viciousness.
“He’s hurting his team,” Steelers right tackle Marcus Gilbert said earlier this week. “It could have been a costly penalty right there. Who knows? He should be suspended for that hit. We’ll see. But he’s too good of a football player to be missing games like that.”
Around the NFL, Seattle Seahawks safety Bradley McDougald was fined $26,739 for unnecessary roughness on a hit on Oakland Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper.