On Sept. 29, the Oakland Raiders and the Indianapolis Colts played against each other for a hard wanting victory for both teams. In the second quarter, Vontaze Burfict, a linebacker who plays for the Raiders, hit Jack Doyle, a tight end for the Colts. After the play, the referees quickly threw their flags and called a personal foul on Burfict for targeting. The referees then took time to look over the play and Burfict was kicked out of the game. As he was leaving the stadium, he was smiling and blowing kisses to the stands. 

NFL Vice President of football operations, Jon Runyan, cited Burfict’s repeated on-field violations when handing down the unprecedented punishment. 

“There were no mitigating circumstances on this play,” Runyan said in a letter to Burfict. “Your contact was unnecessary, flagrant and should have been avoided. For your actions, you were penalized and disqualified from the game. “Your extensive history of rules violations is factored into this decision regarding accountability measures.”

 This isn’t the first suspension that Burflict has had. In 2017, Burfict was suspended for hitting a defenseless player. He was also suspended for three games in 2016 due to a hit on wide receiver Antonio Brown.

This shows a clear statement that the NFL is not tolerating these dirty hits and will take action. It does take some of the fun out of football, but safety is always the most important thing. There are many different ways for the NFL to be interesting. It doesn’t always have to be putting someone’s life in question. A good hit is fun to watch, but not to where it almost takes their life away. 

Although Burfict is suspended for the remainder of this season, he is trying to shorten his sentence of suspension. 

We’ll see what happens to Burfict as he sits on the sideline for the remainder of the season, not able to help his teammates.