Burfict’s helmet-to-helmet hit on Colts tight end Jack Doyle during Oakland’s Week 4 win in Indianapolis drew a penalty for unnecessary roughness that resulted in an ejection, and the NFL was quick to suspend him for the rest of the 2019 season, which is the longest ban for an on-field act in the league’s history.
The 29-year-old Burfict has a long history of illegal hits, and if the suspension is upheld after appeal, he will have been banned for a total of 22 games in his career. Those absences and additional fines incurred will have also cost him more than $5million in salary.
“I don’t think he was trying to hurt that man; the man was going down,” quarterback Carr told reporters in London as the Raiders prepare for their Week 5 game with the Chicago Bears. “You see it all the time — there’s flags flying everywhere.
“We see other people choking people out, and they’re going to play this Sunday. We see other people hitting people in the helmet, and they’re going to play this Sunday. And Vontaze Burfict won’t play the rest of the year? I think that’s a little excessive, if you ask me.
“I don’t think it’s fair, if we really got to know the guy. If the people making the decision really knew the guy that we know, inside our building … he’s a great person, his heart is broken because he’s not playing football. The guy just wants to play football. We don’t get a lot of time to play this game in our lives.
“I know the history situation and all that kind of stuff, but this one, especially with what went on during the week, if we’re going to be fair, we need to be fair with everybody.”
Raiders coach Jon Gruden said: “He knows how I feel — it hurts our team really bad. And I’m anxious to see what the appeal says. I’m not happy about it. At all. And I don’t want to say anything else about it. I’m obviously upset about it.”
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