Oakland Raiders linebacker Vontaze Burfict tried appealing his suspension for the remainder of the season, but the ban was upheld by appeals officer and Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks:
Appeals officer Derrick Brooks, jointly appointed by the NFL and NFLPA, has upheld the suspension of Vontaze Burfict. Burfict is suspended for the remainder of the season. The original announcement: pic.twitter.com/Hs7zeNWETs
— Michael Signora (@NFLfootballinfo) October 9, 2019
Burfict was suspended for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Indianapolis Colts tight end Jack Doyle in Week 4. Burfict was ejected from the game as a result.
Typically, such severe suspensions would not occur for one hit, but Burfict's ban was based on his checkered history.
This marks the 13th time Burfict has been suspended in his NFL career, as he has developed a well-known reputation for being one of the dirtiest players in the league.
The 29-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Arizona State, went undrafted in 2012 due to character issues. He eventually landed with the Cincinnati Bengals, where he he had an impressive rookie campaign with 127 tackles, a sack and a couple of fumble recoveries.
Burfict was even more impressive during his second season, racking up a league-leading 177 tackles to go along with three sacks, an interception, a forced fumble, a pair of fumble recoveries, six passes defended and a defensive touchdown, all en route to a Pro Bowl appearance.
However, since then, Burfict has not played in more than 11 games in any one individual season due to injuries and suspensions.
He was cut by the Bengals back in March and then went on to sign a one-year deal with the Raiders.
In four games with Oakland, Burfict logged 18 tackles.
The Raiders are 3-2 and will head into their bye week this Sunday before taking on the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 20.
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