Who Dey
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- Mar 18, 2019
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The Bengals were willing to overlook a lot of bad behavior for a long time because Vontaze Burfict was good at playing football.
Now that he’s not there, they sound relieved, but also a little wistful about a guy they propped up for so long (and through so many fines and suspensions).
Via Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com, Bengals owner Mike Brown sounded a bit wistful about parting ways with Burfict after seven seasons.
“Burfict, when he was healthy and playing at the level he could play, was exceptional,” Brown said. “All this stuff that came on detracted from his ability to play effectively and we suffered from it. It gives us a little clearer path forward.
“I don’t expect we’re going to have to defend whoever is out there this year the way we’ve had to defend Burfict. And some of the stuff he was accused of in my mind was overdrawn. But it was the fact he was accused and we had all the repercussions with it.”
Their ability to justify his actions came easier when he was playing well, because he remains a disruptive player in the traditional sense. But between suspensions and injuries, he missed 37 games the last five seasons.
And now he’s a Raider, and they get to explain him.