There is no love lost between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals, but perhaps the talk about bad blood between the division rivals is a bit overblown.
On Sunday, Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict will face the Steelers for the first time since he was flagged for head-hunting on Antonio Brown in the playoffs last year. With many wondering if Pittsburgh will retaliate, Brown revealed Tuesday that Burfict actually apologized to him in person during the offseason.
“[He was] just saying he didn’t have no intentions of trying to injure, that it was a football move,” Brown told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Burfict was suspended for the first three games of the 2016 season for that hit and several others, which is why the Steelers did not face him in Week 2. You can see a video of his dangerous shot on Brown here.
Brown called Burfict an “idiot” during Super Bowl week last year, but it seems like he has cooled off considerably since then. Now, he insists he didn’t take the cheap shot personally.
“I don’t have no issue with any guy. I’m a football player. I’m a competitor,” Brown said. “When we’re in the field, we’re going to compete and be competitive. It’s not personal between none of these guys. It’s all in the game. … I represent the Steelers. It’s all business.”
Burfict has a long history of committing dirty plays, and more than one of them have come against Pittsburgh. There was also a play in a regular season game last year when Ben Roethlisberger felt Burfict was trying to take out his knee.
We commend Brown for playing nice in the media, but don’t be surprised if there is some activity after the whistle on Sunday.
