Vontaze Burfict is Released by the Bengals. So Here's a Tribute to His History of Cheapshots

Source – The Vontaze Burfict era finally is over in Cincinnati.

Burfict, who went from undrafted in 2012 to becoming a cornerstone of the Bengals defense, has been released, per multiple reports.

Signed by former Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, Burfict’s hard-nosed style resulted in plenty of penalties, fines, and suspensions.

This is a sad, sad day indeed. No Marvin Lewis, in Cincinnati, no Vontaze Burfict. I thought it might never come, and yet here it is. The Bengals will be unrecognizable next year.

How many penalties, fines and suspensions are we talking about with Burfict? Let me count the ways. For penalties, Pro Football Focus has him down for 41 in his 7-year Bengals career, with four more either offset or declined. As far as the real cheapshotty ones? As they say in film school, show me, don’t tell me:

Here’s that video again, but cued up to his most infamous hit, the one where he layed out a defenseless Antonio Brown in the postseason, knocking him out of that game and the next:

As far as the fines, Spotrac has them all here. $461,244 in all. From his first in 2013 for punching Packers TE Ryan Taylor in the balls, to his last with the Bengals for lowering his helmet against Denver’s Andy Janovich in December. From a low of 10 grand for that nutpunch on Taylor to a couple of 12 grand Unsportsmanlikes, such as the time he flipped the State Bird of Massachusetts to the Bill Mafia, to a high of very unprofitable blows to the head on Brown and James Conner last October that set him back $112,000.

But that is chump change compared to the lost wages from his three suspensions for 10 total games. Those cost him $3,742,772. For a whopping total of $4,204,016 in imposed fines and forfeited salary. That’s the stuff that made him the legendary bad boy you know and hate. And all that the tender age of 28. Meaning we haven’t seen the last of Vontaze Burfict pleading with the officials that he did nothing wrong after yet another yellow flag shower.

I just hope wherever he lands, it’s not anywhere near a team or a player I care about. As much fun as it is to watch Rob Gronkowski get all up in Burfict’s shit, I’d just as soon have him cheapshotting someplace far away, thanks. Canada or the AAF maybe. Though maybe he ought to just wait for the XFL. He’ll be a superstar there.