According to Clark County court records, linebacker Vontaze Burfict was arrested early Saturday.
Clark County is charging the NFL free-agent with a misdemeanor battery charge in Nevada. Furthermore, the county’s holding Burfict on a $1,000 bond according to the court records. His hearing is Monday, ESPN reports.
ESPN reporter Adam Schefter shares the news on Twitter.
No further information regarding the arrest has come to light.
Vontaze Burfict Tumultous NFL Career
Burfict hasn’t played in the NFL since his suspension in 2019. The incident that warranted the suspension was a hit on Indianapolis Colts tight end Jack Doyle in Week 4. Burfict was playing for the Raiders at the time.
This is the hit that started Burfict’s suspension. In the video, the linebacker delivers a malicious head-to-head hit to the Colts’ player.
The NFL reprimanded the linebacker by issuing the suspension for unnecessary roughness. This was after several warnings the league gave Burfict. This is the longest NFL suspension ever for an on-field incident.
Furthermore, Burfict became a free agent in the offseason. The 30-year old’s agent told the NFL Network in February that his client is working to match his style of play to the NFL’s rules.
According to The Guardian, Burfict is considered the “NFL’s dirtiest player.” Additionally, this isn’t the NFL player’s first suspension. In 2017 Burfict was given a five-game suspension that he later appealed. It was reduced to three games instead.
Burfict has quite the checkered past with the league. He’s missed a total of 22 games because of the suspension. That’s roughly 19-percent of his career.
Furthermore, his barbaric actions are costing him a big chunk of change. So far he’s giving up his $4.6 million salary by not playing. He’s also been fined nine other times. This cost him a total of $411,000. This equals to a whopping $5 million of his career earnings wasted away by his reckless play.
Burfict Trying to Play Again
However, Burfict is hoping to play again. It looks like he’s going to have to wait for the 2021 season. According to the NFL, Burfict was speaking to his longtime coach Marvin Lewis. He has since left the Cincinnati Bengals now is the co-defensive coordinator at Arizona State University.
Burfict was also consulting former NFL players and others on how to play within the league’s rules. He was doing research and watching tape of how other linebackers through NFL history have stayed on the right side of the rules.
