Cincinnati Bengals LB Vontaze Burfict has been fined $75,000 for stomping on New England Patriots RB LeGarrette Blount at various points in week 6. He has not been suspended.
Via our own @AkronJackson, Vontaze Burfict has been fined $75,000 for his stomp of LeGarrette Blount.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) October 19, 2016
I should note that this does not appear to include any penalty for throwing a dangerous and low hit to the knee of Patriots TE Martellus Bennett:
And the fine is for messing dangerously with Blount’s ankle on the goal line after the Patriots iced the game with another score:
Red shoe is Blount's. Others two are Burfict's. pic.twitter.com/MquyqiCfIU
— Rich Hill (@PP_Rich_Hill) October 18, 2016
We should also note that this wasn’t the first time Burfict stepped on Blount’s feet this game, as Steelers OG Ramon Foster happily pointed out during a radio interview:
PIT G Ramon Foster notes different time CIN LB Vontaze Burfict "stepped on [Blount's] leg and his shoe came off." https://t.co/PnaUvWlD0K pic.twitter.com/L4hnA2SKTn
— Rich Hill (@PP_Rich_Hill) October 19, 2016
Burfict was suspended for the first three games of the 2016 season for “repeated violations of player safety rules,” after his tactics were on display during a playoff game against the Steelers. He had been “fined for safety-related violations four times in 2015” before getting hit with the suspension.
Burfict is a dirty player and any league that truly cares about the health and well-being of the players should take a far more serious approach when issuing punishment.