Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton is accused of assaulting a woman on December 30, according to police reports obtained by Sharon Coolidge, Cameron Knight, and Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
The woman, who Burton had been dating for several months, accused the player of chasing her inside her apartment, damaging her phone, and then assaulting her, including choking her. The woman also claimed that before Burton left the residence, he threatened to kill himself. The police report says the woman “suffered minor injuries but did not need medical attention.” The woman also initially intended to file charges before changing her mind.
According to Ben Baby of ESPN, the woman also told police that Burton had previously “pushed her down a set of stairs.” That incident hadn’t been reported to the police.
The incident took place days before the Bengals’ regular season finale. Burton didn’t travel with the team to Pittsburgh for that game, with the decision being described as a “coach’s decision.” The organization has since released a 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.”
According to The Enquirer, the player is also facing eviction from his apartment, with those proceedings starting last month. ESPN adds that Burton’s “landlord filed an eviction notice and civil lawsuit against him” for lack of payment.
As both The Enquirer and ESPN note, Burton drew concern for his behavior during the pre-draft process. Specifically, the Alabama product was caught hitting a female fan who rushed the field following his team’s loss to the University of Tennessee. That instance (and other unreported anecdotes), led to teams passing on the wide receiver altogether.
Burton was ultimately selected by the Bengals in the third round. He failed to contribute in his 14 appearances, hauling in only four catches for 107 yards.
Uhh Shoin!
You are dismissed
I wish this was a surprise, but Burton is so known for his lousy character that a lot of teams didn’t even have him on their draft boards at all. Famous lack of impulse control on and off the field. Argued with coaches, got in trouble away from the team. He even smacked a female fan on the field. Top 50 pick talent, but there’s a reason some teams wouldn’t have even taken him in the sixth round.
Jermaine Burton is the Oasis to Chris Henry’s Beatles.
Comments Open!!!
Oh, come on, give him another chance. It’s not like he assaulted a person. Oh yeah, I guess he did. Didn’t Tyreek Hill sucker punch an elderly man in the head? What happened to him? Nothing. What will happen to Burton? Nothing.
Whip your mini-me out 61 times in front of service providing women. Nothing happens except you get 240 million dollars guaranteed. What happens when you punch a old man in the head? Nothing. What happens when you kill someone drag racing? You get drafted in the first round and continue your career. What happens when you kill someone in a car crash from drag racing and run away? You get to continue playing because the NFL wants Kansas City to make the playoffs and into the Superbowl. When do we hold these degenerate criminals to account? Any of us would be locked up, but these clowns get to continue their life with no repercussions.
Realistically (not that I’m endorsing this), we know that there is a measurable difference between Hill and Burton. It’s not in an area that should count, but it unfortunately does. Burton might-I’d actually change that to “will”-get punished, while Hill would not. I’m actually not completely in favor of the league acting as a criminal evaluator (P.R. can effect negative change as well as positive change) The NFL is an oligarchy of owners, and the name “Burton” hasn’t sold as much merchandise as the name “Hill” has. Plus, Burton has ticked off his current team enough to far outweigh his production. Easy decision for the owners. Not equitable…but easy.
Sounds like CTE
I’m not sure what Ohio’s D.V. laws are, but this sounds like an accusation of domestic violence versus assault to me. To be clear, this is still an accusation, not a conviction, for Burton, and I am not endorsing that it be treated otherwise. However, just speaking in terms of terminology, it sounds different. Given that there was a prior relationship that existed between him and his accuser, and that it sounds intimate in nature, I think that it’s appropriate to amend the accusation to “domestic violence” versus “assault” in this case.