Panthers coach Ron Rivera took the high road when asked about Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict twisting his guys’ legs, saying he’d send questionable plays for the league to review.
One of the leg-pull-ees had a slightly stronger feeling on the matter, as you might imagine.
Panthers tight end Greg Olsen said Burfict should be suspended for trying to intentionally injure players. Burfict twisted the ankles of both Olsen and Panthers quarterback Cam Newton yesterday.
“If the league truly cares about league safety, they’ll start putting guys out for weeks,” Olsen said, via Bill Voth of Black and Blue Review. “There’s no place for that.”
The full video of his remarks can be seen here, and Olsen’s clearly incensed about this one, calling it “premeditated” and saying “the punishment needs to go beyond a fine, ... guys like that don’t learn.”
Given the egregious appearance of the two incidents, and the fact Burfict has walked the line before in terms of illegal hits, a fine is likely forthcoming.
The fact Burfict used the same pro wrestling-style move — maybe the figure four was a nod to Charlotte icon Ric Flair — will certainly draw some attention from the league.
Olsen’s anger is natural — much like Cardinals coach Bruce Arians’ at the block that took Calais Campbell out for a month.
But expecting Burfict to miss games — or change — also seems unrealistic.