Initial reports suggested that Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict’s five-game suspension arose solely from an illegal hit on a defenseless receiver who was in the process of running a pass route. As new NFL senior V.P. of officiating Alberto Riveron tells it, another rule comes into play.
Without delving excessively into the details of the Burfict case, which is pending on appeal, Riveron said in a Tuesday morning interview with PFT Live that Burfict also applied an unnecessary hit to Chiefs fullback Anthony Sherman after quarterback Alex Smith had thrown the ball elsewhere.
That’s an important point, because hearing officer James Thrash easily could conclude that the hit to Sherman did not land in his head or neck area, making it legal. Making it potentially illegal could be the unnecessary nature of the hit, if Thrash believes that Burfict saw or could have seen that the ball was out. If it was indeed an unnecessary hit, it wouldn’t matter that Burfict didn’t hit Sherman in the head or the neck.
For more from Riveron, check out Wednesday’s PFT Live. Or go ahead at watch the video now.
