Marvin Lewis: Vontaze Burfict has ‘changed’
Vontaze Burfict has once again found himself in hot water with the NFL, but head coach Marvin Lewis insists Burfict is a different man.
The Bengals linebacker is facing a five-game suspension for a hit on Chiefs running back Anthony Sherman. While Burfict is no stranger to delivering cheap shots, Lewis says Burfict has “changed.”
“In my opinion Vontaze has changed,” Lewis told ESPN. “He’s learned, he’s changed, but in my opinion he’s a 250-pound man that hits like a dynamite. It’s like getting hit by a cement truck. That’s just the way he plays.”
Burfict certainly hits hard, few will dispute that. However, as was the case this time, some of those hits are also of the illegal variety.
On Monday, Burfict ripped NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan in a text message to ESPN’s Josina Anderson. He also come out and said he felt the hit was legal, not surprisingly.
Despite Lewis’ comments, and given Burfict’s status as a repeat offender, it would be a shock to virtually no one if he received the anticipated five-game ban.
