Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown has officially been ruled out of Sunday night’s AFC Divisional round matchup vs. the top-seeded Broncos, after suffering a vicious hit from Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict.

The Bengals were assessed a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness, and then Bengals DB Pacman Jones incurred another 15-yard penalty for getting into a heated argument with Steelers coach Joey Porter on the field. Later on, Jones harangued the officiating crew for only penalizing him, and accused Brown of faking the injury.

With Brown ruled out, it’s time for Jones to eat crow. He said he would apologize to Brown, whom he claimed winked at him after the hit, if Brown didn’t play on Sunday. Well, give Jones this -- his word means something to him.

Jones put his hand to his chest, referred to Brown as his brother, and “sincerely” wished him to get well. For most people it was evident immediately that Brown suffered a brutal hit and was very concussed, but this video proves that Jones legitimately felt he was faking it. As unfathomable as that seems, it is refreshing to see him swallow his pride, change his tune, and react appropriately to what was a nasty play on Burfict’s part.

Burfict did more than just cost the Bengals their first playoff win since the 1990s. He got himself suspended for the first three games of the 2016 season, putting the Bengals behind the 8-ball far earlier than they should’ve been.

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