Vontaze Burfict Told Martellus Bennett His Low Hit Was 'Unintentional'

Vontaze Burfict got on the New England Patriots’ bad side very quickly Sunday.

The Cincinnati Bengals linebacker, whose reputation precedes him, drew New England’s ire in the fourth quarter of their matchup with a seemingly unnecessary low hit on Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett. The dirty play caused plenty of tension between the two teams, as Rob Gronkowski got in Burfict’s face after the incident.

It appeared those disagreements stayed on the field, however. According to Bennett, Burfict came up to him after the New England’s 35-17 win and said he didn’t mean to hit him low like that.

FWIW, Bennett said after the game that Burfict apologized and told him it was unintentional. https://t.co/ivUhUTbvjt

— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) October 17, 2016

More Bennett on Burfict: "He apologized. He said he didn’t try to do it. But it’s part of the game. Stuff happens."

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 16, 2016

Apologies aside, Burfict might end up paying the price for his cheap shot. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the NFL could discipline the Bengals linebacker for his hit on Bennett.

NFL reviewing Vontze Burfict low hit on Martellus Bennett, as is customary. A player's history can factor in to potential discipline.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 17, 2016

This certainly isn’t the first time Burfict’s actions have caught the league’s eye. The 26-year-old delivered a brutal hit to the head on Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown during last season’s AFC Wild Card game, and as a result was suspended for the first three games of 2016 for repeated violations of player safety rules.

Bennett wasn’t injured on Burfict’s hit Sunday, so Burfict likely won’t be suspended, but he very well might have to open up his wallet.

Thumbnail photo via Aaron Doster/USA TODAY Sports Images