Vince Wilfork might face ban for Cutler hit

Oct/29/08 12:55 AM Filed in: Vince Wilfork
VinceWilfork
A one-game suspension could be looming for Vince Wilfork [stats].

According to a source close to Wilfork, the Patriots [team stats] nose tackle met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell yesterday in New York to discuss what the league believes is a pattern of dirty play.

The NFL Network reported Sunday the league was investigating Wilfork for an alleged elbow to the helmet of Denver quarterback Jay Cutler during the Pats’ 41-7 victory two weeks ago. The hit wasn’t caught on the broadcast, but it appeared on the Broncos coaches’ film, which was given to the league.

Wilfork’s past won’t help him. Despite repeated protestations that he’s not a dirty player, he was fined $12,500 last season for a hit to the knee of J.P. Losman that sidelined the Buffalo Bills quarterback for two weeks. The penalty was appealed and reduced to $2,500.

Even with the reduction, Wilfork racked up nearly $30,000 in fines for various infractions during the 2007 season, including a late hit on Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten ($5,000), a poke to the eye of New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs ($15,000) that Wilfork admits crossed the line, and a wrenching of running back Michael Turner’s facemask ($5,000) in the AFC title game against the San Diego Chargers.

“People I’ve met, people I’ve talked with, they know me as a person,” Wilfork said at the end of training camp. “The thing I did worry about last year was my reputation, but I think, at the end of the day, I was fine with it. I was fine with everything from a player’s standpoint. The guys I play against understand the level of play that I play at.”

(bostonherald.com)