CLEVELAND -- Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict suffered the seventh known concussion of his NFL career against the Browns and was ruled out of the second half of the game.

On Dec. 2, Burfict went into concussion protocol during a game against the Broncos and missed the next two games. He returned to practice this week on a limited basis and was listed as questionable.

Burfict appeared to suffer another concussion late in the first half of Sunday's game against the Browns. He initially appeared to resist leaving the field before an athletic trainer walked him to the bench.

The linebacker yanked his arm away from the trainer and kneeled on the sideline by himself. Another trainer took away Burfict's helmet and he went to the locker room before he was ruled out after halftime.

"He just has to go through the protocol. Sometimes guys don't want to hear that," coach Marvin Lewis said when asked about Burfict's reaction. "They say they're fine, but they still have to go through the protocol. They settle down, and then they go do it."

A seven-year pro, Burfict has not played a full season since 2013 because of suspensions and injuries, many of them concussions, that began at the end of his second year in the league in 2013. Burfict suffered a concussion in the final game of that season, then went into concussion protocol in back-to-back weeks to start the 2014 season.

He took a knee to the head against the Steelers on Dec. 18, 2016, and missed the final two games of the season.

He was also taken off the field at Paul Brown Stadium on a backboard last December after taking a hit from Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and missed the next two games. His return that season was short-lived after he injured his shoulder in his first game back.

Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick was also ruled out of the second half of Sunday's game with a shoulder injury.