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CINCINNATI BENGALS
NFL

Vontaze Burfict's three-game suspension upheld

Tom Pelissero
USA TODAY Sports
Cincinnati Bengals outside linebacker Vontaze Burfict (55) reacts after sacking Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) during the third quarter in the AFC Wild Card game at Paul Brown Stadium.

Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict got his chance to plead his case. He’ll still miss the first three games of the 2016 NFL season.

Appeals officer Derrick Brooks has upheld Burfict’s three-game suspension, a league spokesman said Thursday.

The ban was the result of repeat violations of the NFL’s safety-related playing rules – including a hit to the head of Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Antonio Brown in a contentious playoff game last month that yielded fines for a handful of other players.

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Brown suffered a concussion and didn’t play the following week as the Bengals were eliminated by the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos.

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Burfict, 25, previously had been fined four times for safety-related violations during the 2015 season. That included a $50,000 fine for a hit on Baltimore Ravens tight end Maxx Williams in Week 17.

Brooks is one of two appeals officers jointly appointed by the NFL and its players union.

Follow Tom Pelissero on Twitter @TomPelissero.

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