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Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton finds himself in hot water following the conclusion of the 2024 NFL regular season. The pass catcher has been accused of assault by a 19-year-old woman.
The incident occurred in December, though no charges have been filed. The Cincinnati Enquirer broke the news on Wednesday.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton is accused of assaulting a woman he was dating, but she refused to press charges, Cincinnati police reports show.
An assault was reported the morning of Dec. 30, just days before the Cincinnati Bengals nixed Burton from traveling with the team to Pittsburgh, the last game of the season…
Reports show Burton and the woman met in September and dated on and off in the month prior to the alleged assault.
The two had been out together and argued before the incident in the woman’s Oakley neighborhood apartment, reports show. After the night out, police were called and the woman said Burton met her at her apartment, chased her inside, damaged her phone and assaulted her, including choking her. The caller said before leaving, Burton held a knife to his neck and threatened to kill himself.
The Bengals have since released a statement on the situation, saying they are “aware of information related to Jermaine Burton” and that they will “continue to evaluate as they gather additional details.”
Burton was selected by the organization in third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Since, he’s appeared in 14 games, recording four catches for 107 yards.
Much was made of that draft decision due to Burton’s checkered history at the college level. He went viral while at Alabama for pushing a female Tennessee fan that stormed the field after a ’23 win over the Crimson Tide.
There were other red flags leading into professional career, which reared their heads upon arriving in Cincinnati. Prior to the start of the season, it was reported that the Bengals were hesitant to make him active on gamedays due to a lack of preparation in team meetings.
He was then suspended in his rookie season for missing a walkthrough before being mysteriously left off the roster for the season finale. We may now know the reason for that latest absence.
Again, no charges have been filed from the incident. More information on the situation is bound to come out. Jermaine Burton denied the assault accusations with a message on his Instagram story over the weekend that simply read, “Lies.”
It will be interesting to see what’s next for both the Bengals and Burton as they move into the offseason.