Cincinnati Bengals rookie wide receiver Jermaine Burton was accused of assault last week by a woman he was dating who has declined to press charges, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
The incident was allegedly reported the morning of Dec. 30, months after Burton and the woman reportedly began dating on and off in September. Per a police report acquired by the Enquirer, the woman said the two began arguing at the woman’s apartment before a night out, after which Burton met her again at the apartment, chased her inside, damaged her phone and assaulted her, which included choking.
The woman reportedly alleged Burton also held a knife to his neck and threatened to kill himself before leaving. The contents of her 911 call, via the Enquirer:
“He wouldn’t let me go inside. And he choked me (unintelligible) in the hallway,” she said. “He blocked the door so I couldn’t go inside, and when I did go inside, he chased me upstairs. He broke into my house. He broke my phone. This is the second time he’s broken my phone in the past month.”
“He broke my phone. He hit me and he left.”
She told the 911 call taker: “He said he was going to kill himself.” She added, “He’s a narcissist. He’s a manipulator.”
Burton was reportedly gone when police arrived at the scene, and the woman suffered minor injuries but did not need medical attention. She also reportedly said she wanted to file charges against Burton but changed her mind.
The incident occurred days before the Bengals declined to have Burton travel with the team for their regular season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Jan. 4. The team released the following statement to the Enquirer:
“We are aware of information related to Jermaine Burton. We will continue to evaluate as we gather additional details and will have no further comment at this time.”
The Bengals did not say why Burton was left in Cincinnati, but enough rumors swirled he addressed the situation the morning of the game, describing the talk as “lies.”
Every worry about Jermaine Burton has been validated so far
When the Bengals selected Burton in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the pick was widely seen as a bet that his off-field issues wouldn’t get in the way of his prodigious talent.
Burton won a national championship at Georgia before transferring to Alabama, where he continued to develop into an obvious NFL talent. There were, however, red flags, most notably when he was caught on video striking a female Tennessee fan when Volunteers fans rushed the field after upsetting Alabama. He was seen as a potential first-rounder, but NFL teams were hesitant to draft him in the early round.
The Bengals grabbed him with the 80th overall pick, with the clear intention of setting up a potential replacement for Pro Bowl wide receiver Tee Higgins should Higgins leave in free agency.
It wasn’t long before the pick started to look questionable. Burton made some impressive plays in preseason, but the Enquirer notes he fell down the depth chart because his teammates and coaches didn’t think he knew the playbook well enough, so much so that Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said the rookie needed to “stay in the playbook” after the first preseason game.
Burton’s playtime was sporadic at best in the first seven weeks of the season, recording two targets in 25 snaps total. He got a little more action at midseason, but didn’t record a single target after Week 11. He did, however, find work returning kicks.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor even gave Burton a midseason scolding, saying he needed to “handle business the right way” after the wideout was a healthy scratch in Week 9. He ended up posting 107 receiving yards on 14 targets in his rookie year.
In addition to the assault allegation, Burton is also reportedly facing eviction from his apartment. The best that can be said about his rookie year is that it is now over.
