Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict has received a lot of criticism over the years, but his massive hit on Steelers receiver Antonio Brown two years ago in the playoffs is among one of his worst offenses. Brown left the game with a concussion and the hit played a big part in Burfict being suspended for the first three games of 2016.
disgusting pic.twitter.com/mRujxgszRp
— Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) January 10, 2016
In an interview with ESPN The Magazine's Dotun Akintoye, Burfict claims Brown "faked" the effects from the hit.
"He faked that... I feel like he looked at me. The ball tipped off his hands and he kind of put his head towards my area, and I tried to fade off of him at the last second, but he initially tried to make contact because he knew he could get the flag. And just the way he went down, it was just like -- I don't know man."
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This "theory," if you want to call it that, has been around for a while. At the time the hit happened, fellow Bengals players Adam "Pacman" Jones claimed Brown wasn't hit that bad, and said Brown winked and smiled at him as he walked off the field.
"Now if you're knocked out, you think you're going to be able to wink and think about all that at the same time," Jones asked.
Burfict's beef with the Steelers continued in 2017 when in the first game of the series, the linebacker was seen trying to kick a player. That led to a response from Le'Veon Bell saying Burfict needed to be kicked out of the league.
The Bengals and Steelers play again on Monday night.
