Following the Carolina Panthers' 37-all tie with the Cincinnati Bengals, Panthers tight end Greg Olsen wants the NFL to suspend linebacker Vontaze Burfict.
Greg Olsen thinks Vontaze Burfict deserves suspension
The Panthers tight end accused the Cincinnati linebacker of deliberately trying to injure opponents.
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Burfict, a player the league has fined on multiple occasions, appeared to deliberately twist the ankles of Olsen and quarterback Cam Newton following touchdown plays. However, the linebacker was not penalized on either play. Both Olsen and Newton have dealt with ankle injuries this season.
Olsen thinks it’s past time to punish the Bengals defender, arguing, “In instances like that that are so clearly premeditated, that he had in his mind that if he had those opportunities that he was going to try to attack guys’ legs, but guys who are coming off ankle problems specifically, there’s no room for it.”
Olsen further stated that fining Burfict would be insufficient. “Guys like that don’t learn from that stuff. He’s been fined 100 times for head-hunting and he did it to (Panthers receiver) Kelvin (Benjamin) again.” As the Charlotte Observer notes, Burfict has been fined two times for hitting a defenseless receiver.
Just last week, a similar controversy unfolded when Cardinals coach Bruce Arians called Broncos tight end Julius Thomas' chop block on Calais Campbell "the dirtiest play" he'd ever seen. Thomas was not suspended, but he was fined the standard $8,268 amount for the hit.
Update: The NFL will investigate the situation, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
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