Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict's reputation precedes him. This is what happens when you've been fined $805,000 in five seasons for dirty, sometimes dangerous hits, the accumulation of which led the league to suspend him for the first three games of the 2016 season.
Good news: Burfict wasn't flagged for any suspect hits in Sunday's game against the Bills.
Bad news: Burfict was caught on camera giving two middle fingers in the direction of the Paul Brown Stadium crowd (you can view the incriminating evidence here).
The linebacker appeared to be celebrating a third-down sack of Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor that forced a punt with just under five minutes on the clock. The Bengals were trailing 16-12 at the time and the change of possession gave them a late opportunity to march down the field for the game-winner.
Instead, Cincinnati went three-and-out.
The Bengals would get the ball back with 2:30 to go, but an Andy Dalton Hail Mary fell incomplete in the end zone as time expired.
Adding insult to injury, Burfict is probably looking at a fine for his one-finger salute. Back in 2009, then-Titans owner Bud Adams gave the finger to Bills fans during a game and the league fined him $250,000.
Adams wasted little time apologizing:
"I need to apologize for my actions yesterday near the end of the game. I got caught up in the excitement of a great day, but I do realize that those types of things shouldn't happen. I need to specifically apologize to the Bills, their fans, our fans and the NFL," he said in a statement at the time. "I obviously have a great deal of respect for [Bills owner] Ralph Wilson and the history we have shared. I also understand there will probably be league discipline for my actions and I will accept those."
In 2013, then-Dolphins defensive lineman Randy Starks was caught on camera giving the finger to the Dolphins' sideline though he wasn't fined.
"Of course I regret it," Starks said a few days later. "It's something I shouldn't have [done]. It was something that I was joking around with my teammates. Whatever consequences happen, I have to take it."
And most recently, former Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel incurred a $12,000 fine after giving the finger to the Redskins' sideline during a preseason game his rookie season.
Given Burfict's track record, it's more probable than not that he'll be a little lighter in the wallet once the NFL hands down a ruling.