Ravens say Marshal Yanda didn't spit on Vontaze Burfict, as it looked like on TV

Vontaze Burfict has a reputation as the dirtiest player in the game, he’s among the dirtiest players ever, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if other players don’t like the Cincinnati Bengals linebacker.

But the Baltimore Ravens say guard Marshal Yanda did not spit on Burfict when he was on the ground during Sunday’s game.

There was a bit of pushing and shoving in the Bengals-Ravens game, Burfict got in the middle of it (of course) and he ended up on the ground. Yanda was standing around the scrum and then it appeared he spit on Burfict.

After that video from Joe Goodberry of The Athletic got some attention, the Ravens said Monday that’s not what happened.

Ravens deny Marshal Yanda spit on Vontaze Burfict

According to ESPN, Ravens spokesman Kevin Byrne said Yanda “did not spit on anyone.”

Cue up the Keith Hernandez/”Seinfeld” jokes. It’s hard to say what happened, if Yanda didn’t spit on him, without a further explanation.

Spitting on an opponent is a line most NFL players will never cross. The most famous NFL spitting incident was probably when Denver Broncos linebacker Bill Romanowski spit on San Francisco 49ers receiver J.J. Stokes in 1997. Romanowski was fined $7,500, it became a controversial incident within the Broncos locker room, and that incident followed Romanowski the rest of his career and beyond.

The NFL will have to look into this incident with Yanda, a six-time Pro Bowl guard, and determine if he’s telling the truth.

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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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