during the AFC Wild Card Playoff game at Paul Brown Stadium on January 9, 2016 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Amongst all the nastiness and brutal play between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers in their AFC Wild Card matchup this past Saturday night, there was one moment that stood out.

That moment was the brutal and illegal hit leveled by Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict on Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown.

(If you’re a bit squeamish…you may not want to click on the video of the hit below.)

Suspension for the hit was sure to come for the linebacker who has already drawn suspension for his violent and dirty play in the past.

On Monday night the NFL came down with its ruling, suspending Burfict for three games to start the 2016 season.

In its ruling, the NFL notes Burficts long history of fines and for what they deem “saftey-related” violations.

The suspension was imposed by NFL Vice President of Football Operations Merton Hanks, who ruled that Burfict’s action placed his opponent at unnecessary risk of injury and should have been avoided.  The suspension will take effect at the time of the final roster reduction prior to Week 1 of the 2016 regular-season.

Burfict has previously been fined for safety-related violations four times in 2015, including a $50,000 fine for unnecessarily contacting an opponent who was out of the play in Cincinnati’s Week 17 game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Given all of those facts, Burfict was unlikely to be in uniform for at least the 2016 season opener, but it appears the league is taking his history and the hit very seriously with this three-game suspension. Burfict will likely appeal and it’s probable the suspension may get reduced a game or two, but it seems unlikely he’ll be suiting for the opener next year.

The bigger question may be whether or not that suspension will be served withBurfict a member of the Bengals roster or not.

Losing him for three games is a serious blow, as Burfict is one of the most talented members of the team. It just so happens that he is one of the most violent and on edge players as well.

About Andrew Coppens

Andy is a contributor to The Comeback as well as Publisher of Big Ten site talking10. He also is a member of the FWAA and has been covering college sports since 2011. Andy is an avid soccer fan and runs the Celtic FC site The Celtic Bhoys. If he's not writing about sports, you can find him enjoying them in front of the TV with a good beer!