Inflicting pain on a ball carrier for the opposing team is a welcomed plus when you’re an All American future NFL first round pick playing linebacker. Inflicting pain on teammates and fellow students as well as threatening coaches is a warning sign when you’re that same linebacker.
Based on reports out of Tempe, Arizona State linebacker Vontaze Burfict is a proponent of all of the above. SportsbyBrooks.com has uncovered a series of incidents involving the All American linebacker that indicate that Burfict may have something of an anger management problem:
- Burfict choked out a fellow ASU student in a pickup basketball game in the student recreation center.
- Burfict sucker punched WR Kevin Ozier in the locker room after having a verbal confrontation during practice. Burfict outweighs Ozier by more than 50 pounds by the way.
- Burfict had a heated verbal confrontation with wide receivers coach Steve Broussard last season where he threatened to physically harm the coach and would eventually have to be separated from the coach by players.
If you’ve seen Burfict play over the last season or two, then surely you know this kid has NFL star talent. His only question mark has been his maturity of which Arizona State head coach Dennis Erickson has went on record in saying it’s improved. Maturity can kill a draft stock in today’s NFL, ask Ryan Mallett.
It would benefit the temperamental linebacker to learn how to reign his anger in seeing as to how he’s more than likely NFL bound. With NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell issuing suspensions for college acts (See Terrell Pryor), Burfict could already be on the dictator’s radar.
In all due seriousness, Burfict needs to get his act together because there’s a promising career awaiting him after Arizona State and he doesn’t want it littered with suspensions and fines for something as simple as not being able to control his emotions.