BALTIMORE — Baltimore Ravens guard Marshal Yanda was not fined by the NFL after allegations surfaced that he spit on Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict, a league source said Saturday.
Yanda, a six-time Pro Bowl lineman, was strong in his denial this week.
“I take a lot of pride in my character and how I was raised,” Yanda said Wednesday. “I would never, ever spit on another man, another person, individual ever.”
The sequence in question occurred in the fourth quarter of the Ravens’ 24-21 win over the Bengals. Burfict tackled Baltimore running back Alex Collins and a minor scuffle ensued involving several players.
Video from the CBS broadcast of the game shows spit coming from Yanda’s mouth while Burfict was on the ground after the play, and Burfict had no apparent reaction.
“The video, some people are taking it crazy, but all I was doing was wiping the spit off my helmet, away from the ground,” Yanda said. “I swiped at it to make sure that it didn’t land on anybody. I don’t know if you guys know, during the course of a game, I’m like a heavy spitter. The adrenaline is fired up, and I’m spitting all the time — sidelines, on the field, but not on anyone ever.”
It is believed that Yanda has been disciplined once in his 12-year NFL career. In 2012, Yanda got into an altercation with Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Cullen Jenkins after a play, and both were fined $7,875 for unnecessary roughness.