Oakland Raiders linebacker Vontaze Burfict has been suspended for the remainder of the NFL season following his hit on Indianapolis Colts tight end Jack Doyle. The punishment was long-awaited for many, but Burfict is not without supporters. Quarterback Derek Carr, for example, recently came to his teammate’s defense during a press conference in London.
Wednesday, both Carr and head coach Jon Gruden met with the media following practice. As expected, they were asked about Burfict and the punishment that had been handed down by the league. Gruden primarily talked about how the absence would hurt the team, but Carr actually took the conversation in a different direction while talking about how he knows Burfict as a person.
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“It will affect us that he’s not out there,” Carr said to reporters. “He’s a captain. I think the hard thing for me to understand is we say ‘we are all about people,’ but sometimes we don’t get to know people.”
Derek Carr, possibly the most diplomatic player in the #NFL, throwing absolute shade grenades with regards to the Vontaze Burfict suspension. The #Raiders are not happy about the length of this ban at all. #NFL #NFLUK #TheTD #CHIvsOAK pic.twitter.com/g4ZIslp2ry
— Simon Carroll (@NFLDraftSi) October 2, 2019
As Carr continued to explain, he thinks that Burfict is one of the most misunderstood people in the entire NFL. There is a certain reputation about Burfict, but Carr had these opinions flipped shortly after the Raiders brought the linebacker to town.
“I don’t think he was trying to hurt the man [Doyle]; the man was going down,” Carr continued. “We see other people choking people out, and they’re going to play this Sunday. You see other people hitting people in the helmet, and they’re going to play this Sunday. And Vontaze Burfict won’t play the rest of the year? I think that’s a little excessive if you ask me.”
For Carr, the part that he struggles with the most in this decision is that he believes it will rob Burfict of a year from his career. The average career length in the league is 3.3 years, which Burfict has surpassed by logging snaps in his eighth season. However, the Raiders quarterback still believes that his teammate has plenty of good football left in him, but not being able to play for this season will hurt him in the long run.
“He’s a great person, his heart is broken because he’s not playing football. The guy just wants to play football. We don’t get a lot of time to play this game in our lives. Some of us don’t get a lot of years to do this. I’ve broken many bones. I’m sure he’s had plenty of injuries. So to be suspended for something like that for a whole season puts a whole another year on your legs.”
For Carr, there is a possibility that he could see the return of his teammate at some point this season. Burfict is appealing the season-long suspension but the verdict is unknown. His previous punishments have been reduced, including the number of games served, and this could be a possibility once again. Although it will be up to the discretion of either Derrick Brooks or James Thrash, the men who will hear the appeal.
