Oakland Raiders linebacker Vontaze Burfict is facing a ban for the rest of the 2019 season for his helmet-to-helmet hit Sunday on Indianapolis Colts tight end Jack Doyle, sources told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen.
Burfict was ejected in the second quarter of Sunday’s 31-24 win for the Raiders. He was initially flagged for hitting Doyle in the head across the middle. But after the officials conferred, Burfict was thrown out.
Sources had told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Burfict will be suspended as soon as Monday.
The 29-year-old Burfict has received 13 suspensions and fines in seven seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals before signing with the Raiders as a free agent this offseason. Two of the suspensions were for illegal hits, totaling six games.
This is Burfict’s first season with the Raiders, and he was named a team captain.
“It’s a tough decision, it’s a tough call. I think it was a flag,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden said Sunday. “It was very well-documented that the league was going to review those plays this year in New York City. So, that’s what happened and I’ll wait to hear what their reasoning was. But it was a penalty, he went in there with his head down, it was called and, unfortunately for us, it was an ejection.”