At his press conference in San Francisco last Friday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said that he would like to see the NFL adopt a rule that would see players flagged for two personal fouls in the same game ejected.
Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict would not have been ejected from the team’s playoff loss to the Steelers if such a rule was already in place because the only personal foul he received was for the shot to the head he delivered to Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown late in the fourth quarter. Burfict was suspended for the first three games of next season in the days following the game, however.
Burfict’s suspension came because of repeated violations of player safety rules -- he’s been flagged for 16 personal fouls in the regular season and playoffs since 2012 -- and he’s reportedly going to talk to Goodell about a possible reduction to that ban. Coley Harvey and James Walker of ESPN.com report that Burfict is expected to meet with the commissioner in the next week.
Given the proposal for stiffer penalties for players crossing the line during games, it would be a surprise to see the league pull back on the punishment handed out to a habitual offender like Burfict.