Vontaze Burfict played college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils, earning first-team All-American honors.
70 Facts About Vontaze Burfict
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Vontaze Burfict was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Bengals, where he spent his first seven seasons.
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Vontaze Burfict led the Bengals in tackles during his rookie season and earned Pro Bowl honors in 2013.
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Vontaze Burfict incited controversy throughout his career for frequently violating player safety rules, which caused him to be suspended for 22 games and accumulate over $5.3 million in fines and forfeited salary.
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Vontaze Burfict missed most of his Raiders tenure due to being suspended 10 games for a personal foul, the longest on-field suspension in NFL history.
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Vontaze Burfict attended Centennial High School in Corona, California, where he was part of an undefeated Huskies team that won a CIF state championship with the help of quarterback Taylor Martinez; the team was ranked second in the nation by USA Today in 2008.
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That year, Vontaze Burfict led the Huskies with 159 tackles, two quarterback sacks, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
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Vontaze Burfict participated in the US Army All-American Bowl and was the third-leading tackler for the West team.
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Vontaze Burfict missed almost all of his sophomore season due to academic problems.
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Vontaze Burfict helped anchor a linebacker unit that included fellow Sun Devils Shelly Lyons and Brandon Magee.
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Vontaze Burfict played in the 2009 US Army All-American Bowl.
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In 2019, Vontaze Burfict's mother told USA Today that a number of parents frequently came up to her and asked her to tell her son not to hit their sons so hard.
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Vontaze Burfict's uncle recalled that, at the time, helmet-to-helmet hits were not frowned on as much as they were by the time Vontaze Burfict made it to the NFL.
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Vontaze Burfict originally committed to USC but eventually switched to Arizona State on National Signing Day.
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Vontaze Burfict joined Arizona State's 2009 recruiting class that included three of his high school teammates.
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Vontaze Burfict did qualify on time for the 2009 football season.
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Vontaze Burfict led the Sun Devils in tackles in five games over the course of the season.
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Vontaze Burfict was honored as the Pacific-10 Conference Defensive Freshman of the Year.
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At the start of his sophomore season, Vontaze Burfict was named First-Team Preseason All-American by The Sporting News.
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Vontaze Burfict was named to the watchlists of the 2010 Lombardi Award and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy.
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On October 6,2010, Vontaze Burfict was benched by Arizona State head coach Dennis Erickson.
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Vontaze Burfict finished the 2010 season with a team-leading 90 total tackles, 8.5 tackles for a loss, and two forced fumbles.
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Vontaze Burfict decided to forgo his senior year at Arizona State to pursue a career in the NFL.
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Vontaze Burfict finished last among linebackers in the broad jump and finished second to last among linebackers in the vertical jump.
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On March 16,2012, Vontaze Burfict attended Arizona State's pro day and performed the bench press, vertical jump, short shuttle, and three-cone drill.
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Vontaze Burfict was ranked as the ninth-best inside linebacker in the draft by Scouts Inc and was ranked the tenth-best inside linebacker by DraftScout.
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On September 23,2012, Vontaze Burfict earned his first career start at weakside linebacker after Thomas Howard was placed on injured reserve after tearing his ACL during practice.
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Vontaze Burfict sacked Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert for an 11-yard loss in the fourth quarter.
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Vontaze Burfict finished his rookie season in 2012 with 127 combined tackles, two pass deflections, and one sack in 16 games and 14 starts.
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Vontaze Burfict led the team in tackles as a rookie and finished 15th among all players in the league.
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When Vontaze Burfict was on the field, the Bengals defense allowed 2.4 yards fewer per play, allowing 4.5 compared to 6.9 when he was off the field.
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Vontaze Burfict entered training camp slated as the team's starting weakside linebacker under defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.
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Vontaze Burfict intercepted a pass by Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, that was originally intended for running back Michael Bush, and returned it for a 12-yard gain during the fourth quarter.
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Vontaze Burfict was fined for a hit on a defenseless receiver and intentionally struck an opponent in the groin.
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Vontaze Burfict forced a fumble by Browns running back Chris Ogbonnaya, recovered the ball, and returned it for a 13-yard touchdown.
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On December 27,2013, it was announced that Vontaze Burfict was selected to play in the 2014 Pro Bowl.
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Vontaze Burfict became the first Bengals linebacker to be selected to a Pro Bowl since Jim LeClair in 1976.
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Vontaze Burfict started in all 16 games in 2013, recording a career-high 171 combined tackles ; making six pass deflections, three sacks, one interception, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery; and scoring one touchdown.
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Vontaze Burfict led all players in tackles in 2013 and topped the NFL's "Performance-Based Pay" program list with $299,465 in earnings that year.
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Vontaze Burfict remained in concussion protocol due to concussion-related symptoms and remained inactive for the next two games.
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On October 29,2014, it was reported that Vontaze Burfict had undergone arthroscopic surgery on his knee.
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Vontaze Burfict was inactive for the next six games and was placed on injured reserve on December 9,2014.
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Vontaze Burfict was limited to five games and five starts in 2014 and recorded 29 combined tackles and two pass deflections.
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On January 26,2015, it was revealed that Vontaze Burfict had undergone microfracture surgery after issues in his knee that was surgically repaired the previous October continued to persist.
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On December 15,2015, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger accused Vontaze Burfict of having intentionally targeted his ankle in the teams' regular season game on December 13.
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On December 18,2015, Vontaze Burfict received three fines from the NFL that totaled $69,454.
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Vontaze Burfict received a fine for his hit on Ben Roethlisberger and received two other fines for unnecessary roughness penalties.
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Vontaze Burfict finished the 2015 NFL season with 74 combined tackles, five pass deflections, two interceptions, and one sack in ten games and ten starts.
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Vontaze Burfict's penalty was for a hit he delivered with his shoulder to the head of wide receiver Antonio Brown.
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Vontaze Burfict served his three-game suspension to begin the 2016 NFL season.
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Vontaze Burfict intercepted two pass attempts by Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz.
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Vontaze Burfict remained in the league's concussion protocol and was inactive for the last two games of the regular season.
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Vontaze Burfict finished the season with 101 combined tackles, eight pass deflections, two interceptions, two sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery in 11 games and 11 starts.
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On October 27,2017, Vontaze Burfict was fined $12,154 for kicking Nix.
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Vontaze Burfict left the field by imitating a celebration taunt of quarterback Johnny Manziel.
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Vontaze Burfict left the game with a concussion following a blindside block by rookie receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster on Monday Night Football.
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Smith-Schuster was penalized for unnecessary roughness and taunted Vontaze Burfict by standing over him after delivering the hit.
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Vontaze Burfict remained in concussion protocol and was sidelined for the next two games.
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Vontaze Burfict was inactive for the Bengals' Week 17 victory at the Baltimore Ravens due to a shoulder injury.
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Vontaze Burfict finished the 2017 NFL season with 69 combined tackles, two pass deflections, 1.5 sacks, and one forced fumble in ten games and ten starts.
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On March 16,2018, Vontaze Burfict received a four-game suspension for violating the league's policy against performance-enhancing drugs.
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Vontaze Burfict would blame the failed drug test on Smith-Schuster's illegal hit the year prior as well as the fact that he was on prescription drugs.
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On October 20,2018, Vontaze Burfict was fined $112,000 for hits in Week 6 on Antonio Brown and James Conner that the league considered unnecessary.
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Vontaze Burfict was inactive for two games due to a hip injury he sustained during a Week 7 loss at the Kansas City Chiefs.
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On March 18,2019, Vontaze Burfict was released by the Bengals after seven seasons with the team.
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On March 19,2019, Vontaze Burfict signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Oakland Raiders.
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Vontaze Burfict made his debut with the Raiders in week 1 against the Denver Broncos.
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Since then, Vontaze Burfict has indicated his intent to continue playing in the NFL; he became a free agent in 2020 at the conclusion of his one-year contract with the Raiders and has not declared that he is retired.
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On December 5,2020, it was revealed that Vontaze Burfict was arrested for misdemeanor battery outside of a casino in Las Vegas.
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Vontaze Burfict was released from jail the same day on a $1,000 bond.