Oakland Raiders: Will Vontaze Burfict ever play again?

Oakland Raiders linebacker Vontaze Burfict has been suspended for the entire 2019 regular season, but will he ever play football again?

Last week was a tough week for me since I am a both an Indianapolis Colts and Oakland Raiders fan. In our editor’s group, the smack-talking was real this week, and we all went back and forth regarding who was going to win.

I expected the Colts to have a tough go since I analyzed the Raiders offense and defense for this website and know the weapons they have. However, no one expected Vontaze Burfict to be suspended for the year for this hit on tight-end, Jack Doyle.

It’s no secret Vontaze is an aggressive player, and that’s putting it lightly. He’s passionate and sometimes allows his emotions to get the better of him. Jose Sanchez, a contributor for Just Blog Baby, played against him in High School and knows first-hand the power of his hits.

I won’t reveal private conversations we’ve had, but all I can say is Jose knows how aggressive he is and how hard he can hit.

Burfict’s gameplay is his own worst enemy. He’s a big guy with a lot of power and uses his power for good things when it’s directed the right way. The NFL has really cracked down on helmet-to-helmet hits after Junior Seau‘s tragic death and many other players’ complaints about head injuries.

Part of this is the NFL’s fault for trying to say this isn’t a violent sport. Instead of cracking down on hitting, the NFL should come out and be real with the public by saying “our sport is dangerous and that’s why players get millions of dollars to put their body on the line willingly.”

But that didn’t happen.

Roger Goodell made it his mission to make sure the public didn’t think this was a violent sport. I played in high school and I have countless injuries I’m still dealing with, which is why I gave it up. There is something to be said about “the game is violent so deal with it,” but there’s also the case of “dirty hits.”

Let me be clear, the opinions in this article are all my own and don’t reflect the Just Blog Baby crew or even Raider fans in general. I’ve seen both sides over the past few days of those who agree with the suspension and those who don’t.

One thing stands true, though, Vontaze Burfict’s future in the NFL is rocky at best.