Do you know that Vontaze Burfict began his NFL career as an undrafted free agent in 2012 and that he played college football with Arizona State? You probably thought you know so much about Cincinnati Bengals’ Linebacker right? Well, wait until you are done reading these five lesser facts about him, then you can draw up a scorecard for yourself.
Brief Bio
He was born on the 24th day of September 1990 as Vontaze DeLeon Burfict Jr. Burfict was born in South Los Angeles but grew up in Corona, California, where he attended Centennial High School, Corona, California.
His parents’ names are Vontaze Burfict, Sr. and Lisa Williams. His dad Vontaze Burfict, Sr. was a gang member and a convicted cocaine dealer who spent most of his life in jail, thus, Vontaze never had a close relationship with him. He has an older half-brother named DaShan Miller. They were initially being raised single-handedly by their mom (a city transit bus driver) who would later remarry and move to Corona with her two sons.
His older brother also played high school football at Corona Centennial High School, and college football at UTEP and then Akron. He was eligible for the 2010 NFL Draft but wasn’t drafted.
Career
He played soccer with his high school football team and was part of the team that won the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) title. During his junior year, he recorded 130 tackles, 4 sacks, 2 interceptions and 1 fumble recovery. He was in charge of a linebackers unit that included other linebackers like Brandon Magee and Shelly Lyons.
Corona Centennial ended that season ranking 24 on USA Today‘s Top 25. In 2008, the team was ranked second best in the country by USA Today. That same year, Vontaze Burfi took part in the US Army All-American Bowl and was ranked the 3rd-leading tackler for the West team. He also earned numerous All-American honors including Parade.
In 2009, he made his second U.S. Army All-American Bowl appearance and was considered a five-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com. He was also named as the country’s No.1 inside linebacker prospect.
He first committed himself to play college football for USC Trojans but changed his mind on National Signing Day and switched over to Arizona State. He, however, struggled to meet the admission standard based on the NCAA eligibility, he eventually did meet the standard and joined the team for the 2010 season and by midseason, he had recorded 30 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks and 3 pass break-ups to be ranked second on the team and named Arizona State’s midseason defensive MVP by ESPN.
College Football News together with the Football Writers Association of America named Vontaze Burfict Freshman All-American and he was also honored with the Pacific-10 Conference Defensive Freshman of the Year award. The Sporting News also named him First-Team Preseason All-American, he received the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and also the 2010 Rotary Lombardi Award.
Burfict had a rather inconsistent junior year following a knee injury, he was expected to take over Sun Devils’ defense but that never happened as he had to forgo his senior season for an NFL Draft.
He started his professional career in 2012 as an undrafted free agent. He made a name for himself during his rookie season by leading the team in tackles and starting 14 games. Today he is one of the best linebackers not just in his team but also in the National Football League (NFL).
PED Violations
While at the NFL Combine in 2012 Vontaze Burfict tested positive for marijuana and he admitted to NFL officials that he had actually smoked marijuana. In March 2018, he was suspended for four games for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy.
He had served a three-game suspension in 2016, though not for PED violation but for repeatedly violating player safety rules. He has accumulated a total of $4,038,534 in fines so far in his career.
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His Salary & Net Worth
Vontaze Burfict has broken some records and that is certainly not without an upside which his net worth is a sure proof of. The player’s total value is currently put at $12 million. His base salary as at 2018 is $3.81 million.
Who Is Vontaze Burfict Married To? – His Wife
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The Cincinnati Bengals linebacker is not married but has been dating his high school sweetheart Brandie Labomme since 2011. Brandie has a B.A in business communications and French from Arizona State University.
The couple are parents to two adorable girls. They welcomed their first daughter named Aiyanna, in 2015 and a second daughter in May 2017.