Vontaze Burfict has a lengthy history of questionable decisions on the football field, and many of those reckless moments have come against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Cincinnati Bengals linebacker served a three-game suspension at the beginning of the year for a hit delivered in preseason, and it didn’t take long for him to start playing dirty against the Steelers in Week 7.
On just the second play of the game, he kicked Steelers fullback Roosevelt Nix in the head/neck area.
For some reason, Burfict pointed at Nix after the play as if the fullback was at fault, but it didn’t appear as though Nix did anything but attempt to block for running back Le’Veon Bell.
There was no penalty called on the play.
Bell saw a replay of the kick after the game and reacted on Twitter:
man dude gotta go man...that’s not football AT ALL!! https://t.co/IFbNZPZtWR
— Le'Veon Bell (@L_Bell26) October 23, 2017
Considering Burfict’s history — which includes a helmet-to-helmet hit on Antonio Brown in a playoff game in January 2016 that drew a suspension — he doesn’t get much benefit of the doubt.
He was later fined:
#Bengals LB Vontaze Burfict was fined $12,154 for unsportsmanlike conduct for kicking #Steelers FB Roosevelt Nix
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 27, 2017
In his career, Burfict has forfeited around $2.65 million in earnings, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Paul Dehner Jr.