information that had him suspecting it was a serious

CINCINNATI -- The Bengals defended linebacker Vontaze Burfict on Wednesday for his actions during a loss to New England, which drew a $75,000 fine from the league, according to a person familiar with the situation.Burfict was fined for stepping on Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount after he scored a touchdown near the end of New Englands 35-17 win on Sunday, according to the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because fines for this week have not yet been announced by the league.Coach Marvin Lewis disagreed with the linebackers punishment.I dont think he did anything wrong, Lewis said. We were not in the wrong here, in my opinion. Its unfortunate.The volatile linebacker has a history of violating player safety rules. His hit to Antonio Browns head gave the receiver a concussion and moved the Steelers in range for their winning field goal in the final minute of Pittsburghs 18-16 victory over the Bengals in the first round of the playoffs last season.The NFL suspended Burfict for that hit and numerous other ones during his career.Burfict wasnt in the locker room while it was open to the media on Wednesday. He suffered an ankle injury during practice in the afternoon that forced him to sit out the end of the session, but Lewis said its not believed to be serious.The defending AFC North champions are 2-4 -- their worst start in six years -- as they host the Cleveland Browns (0-6) on Sunday. Burfict is expected to play.Cornerback Adam Pacman Jones, who also drew a penalty that helped set up Pittsburghs winning kick, said opponents are trying to rile Burfict during games to provoke an incident.He is (targeted), but everybody knows what it is, Jones said. At a certain point, you just have to go play football and try not to let it bother you the way you play. Me talking to Tez, it does bother him.Burfict had another play in New England that drew scrutiny. He hit Martellus Bennett in the side of the knee when the tight end wasnt the intended receiver on a pass by Tom Brady. The tight end got up limping. No flag was thrown, but the play was shown repeatedly during the television broadcast.My point is that stuff like that happens during a football game, left tackle Andrew Whitworth said. Once youre labeled as a guy that does that, it becomes a bigger topic. It happens in football every day and unless youre going to point out everybody that does it, dont single out individuals.Browns receiver Terrelle Pryor tried out for a backup quarterback spot with Cincinnati last year but was released. He got to know Burfict during his time with the Bengals.I saw the hit on Martellus -- it didnt look good, but I personally like Burfict, Pryor said on Wednesday. I like the way he plays the game, not from the standpoint of some dirty stuff that goes on, but I think hes a heck of a player.Game notes The Bengals announced that the Browns game has sold out. ... TE Tyler Eifert returned to practice on a limited basis. He hasnt played this season because hes recovering from offseason ankle surgery and he hurt his back a couple of weeks ago. ... C Russell Bodine (ankle), G Clint Boling (shoulder) and DT Pat Sims (neck) were held out of practice. Bodine suffered an ankle sprain at New England.---AP Sports Writer Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed to this report.---Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Adidas Nmd Cheap Australia . 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Marie, Ont., team took control of the game early. FRISCO, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant, who avoided having an MRI initially because he was fearful the results would reveal bad news about his right leg injury,?is not expected to play Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, a source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter on Thursday.Coach Jason Garrett confirmed Thursday that Bryant missed an MRI, a treatment session and two team meetings. Bryant didnt undergo the MRI until Wednesday, and he was diagnosed with a hairline fracture of his tibial plateau in his right leg near the knee, according to a source.Garrett remains hopeful that Bryant, who did not practice for the fourth straight day Friday, could still play against the 49ers on Sunday.Bryant posted a message on Twitter on Thursday, saying he understood the consequences. He also said he was day to day and got great feedback from Dr. James Andrews about his injury.Garrett said the team had indirect conversations with Bryant during his absence, but he did not elaborate how. The coach also did not answer whether Bryant would be fined, other than to say there would be repercussions and that Bryant was completely well intended in his actions.Hes a very, very passionate person. He loves football. He loves this team. Hes a driven guy and his response to this was not the right one, Garrett said. It was an understandable response given his personality and everything he puts into this.Hes an emotional person and he didnt handle it the right way. What we have to do as a team is we have to handle it the right way. We understand where he was coming from and then we addresss it, we solve it, we move on.dddddddddddd Thats how we handle things here. And thats what weve done.Bryant suffered the injury Sunday when his knee and ankle got caught under Bears linebacker Christian Jones during a tackle on the second play of the game from scrimmage. He had X-rays after the game and, according to Garrett, received information that had him suspecting it was a serious injury.The frustration of possibly missing significant time for the second straight year was apparently too much.It stems from someone who is very passionate about what he does, and he did not handle this the right way, Garrett said. He expressed that to me. He expressed that to other coaches and teammates. You can understand why he did what he did, given the passion that he has for the game and for this football team and where he thought he was.Im not excusing any behavior that he has. We address it. We solve it. We move on. There are repercussions for his action, and we move forward.Bryant had surgery to repair a broken right foot after last years season opener and missed the next five games (seven total). He also had a second bone graft during the offseason to help stabilize his foot.Were hopeful by the end of the week that he can do something, Garrett said. Hes moving around better and better. But again, well take his situation day by day.If Bryant cant play Sunday, Brice Butler, who has one catch for 16 yards in three games, would move into the starting lineup. ' ' '