While the Raiders play the Bears on Sunday in London, linebacker Vontaze Burfict is watching from home. It likely will stay that way throughout the 2019 season, too.
"There is not another defensive player in the game who has anything close to his history with violent and unsafe play," one source within the NFL's office told CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora. "There isn't anything else like it. And it has to stop."
The NFL has tried to control Burfict's unsafe behavior for years now. After an illegal hit last week on Colts tight end Jack Doyle, the league decided enough was enough and suspended the Raiders' veteran linebacker for the remainder of the season. Apparently Burfict's hit on Doyle wasn't his only helmet-to-helmet blow against the Colts, too.
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The league informed Burfict they found another instance of him laying an illegal hit in the Raiders' Week 4 win, which rubbed his agent, Lamont Smith, the wrong way.
"Hmmmm... I wonder how many other players they've done that for in the last two or three years," Smith said to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport.
Here's the problem: Burfict is a different case for a reason. He was suspended three games in 2016 and five games in 2017 -- which was reduced to three games after an appeal -- for penalties, and was fined for more than $165,000 last season for three more illegal hits to the head.
NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan made it clear Burfict's history played into the league's decision when the 29-year-old was hit with a season-long suspension. "Your extensive history of rules violations is factored into this decision regarding accountability measures," Runyan wrote in a statement at the time of the suspension.
NFL
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Burfict will appeal his suspension Tuesday, but it will take a lot of convincing to get the league to change their decision. It's clear the NFL wants to send a message to Burfict and the rest of the league as they try to emphasize player safety more often.