Vontaze Burfict is well known as being one of the dirtiest players in the NFL, and he has infuriated opponents on countless occasions with his cheap shots and post-whistle antics. But how do his own teammates feel about it?
According to Ben Roethlisberger, some Cincinnati Bengals players hate it just as much. Roethlisberger said on his weekly show on 93.7 The Fan that there aren’t many people who defend Burfict — including those in his own locker room.
“I think they roll their eyes with some of the antics, truthfully,” Roethlisberger said. “I don’t know what [Marvin Lewis] is able and capable of doing. Maybe he’s tried, maybe he hasn’t, I don’t really know. I can’t speak for what they do over there … I know some of their players they just can’t stand it and I know if it was on our team, we’d have to have a talk.”
There’s a difference between playing aggressively and playing dirty, and Burfict consistently crosses that line. It often costs the Bengals, as it did last Sunday when he was flagged for roughing the passer after tossing Roethlisberger to the ground late. Following that play, Roethlisberger and Burfict came face-to-face.
“I can share (what I said) because it’s my show … I said, ‘Hey, this is a great opportunity for me to tell you exactly what my wife wanted me to tell you if I got a chance. She wanted me to tell you that she’s praying for you,'” Big Ben recalled. “That’s what I told him, no joke.”
Burfict has been fined numerous times for egregious cheap shots like this, but he is never going to change the way he plays. And as long as he continues to play undisciplined, the Bengals will continue to be penalized for it.
