Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton did not play in Sunday’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders. He was benched by head coach Zach Taylor for missing a team meeting on Saturday.
To make matters worse, it appeared as though he recently hit the casino to play the slots.
Burton, a third-round rookie out of Georgia and Alabama, was supposed to be a big part of Cincinnati’s game plan over the weekend. Tee Higgins is out with an injury so his targets were going to increase by a significant margin as the No. 2 wide receiver behind Ja’Marr Chase.
The increase in opportunity came just a few days after Burton expressed some frustration with the coaching staff for his lack of involvement during the first few games.
I can’t put myself in the game. Personally, I feel like I could have been (making) plays.
— Jermain Burton
According to multiple reports, he was going to be heavily featured in the offense and a final walkthrough on Saturday was going to lock in his role. Those plans were quickly derailed when Burton didn’t show up.
As a result, the Bengals made him a late healthy scratch on early Sunday morning prior to kickoff.
Here’s where things go from bad to worse. Burton showed up to the game as a healthy scratch in pajamas.
Jermaine Burton arrives before today’s game against the Raiders. pic.twitter.com/xbslST0Qoa
— Joe Danneman (@FOX19Joe) November 3, 2024
The choice of clothing is not the issue here under normal circumstances but this was not normal circumstances. To wear pajamas after getting benched for missing a walkthrough is not a good look. It would’ve been infinitely better if Burton wore something simple like a plain white t-shirt and jeans.
Joe Burrow also appeared to check his young pass-catcher for sitting on the bench during the game despite his status as a healthy scratch for disciplinary reasons.
Damn 9 looks pissed. Come on 81 pic.twitter.com/SUC2H1WcRQ
— Gwill (@gwilly1158) November 3, 2024
Other veteran players spoke with Burton after the game. Mike Hilton told him to grow up.
When you get to this point in your career you gotta grow up. You’re a grown man. Nobody is going to baby you anymore. We know how talented he is and how much he can help, but he has to grow up and just mature and realize he’s gotta put the team over himself.
— Mike Hilton
Sam Hubbard was more gentle and understanding.
Me personally, I just want to make sure he’s all right, see if there is anything I can do to help him. Be there for him if something comes up. Young guys, sometimes they just need someone to be on their side and help them through this. Because you never know what people are going through. I think that this organization is a great place to be for guys that just need a way to learn how to be a pro.
— Sam Hubbard
Burrow was took a diplomatic approach.
Jermaine is going to be a great player. You just have to do the little things right. He’s a guy that has a demeanor that you like. You like his energy. He practices hard. He has a chance.
— Joe Burrow
The whole thing was a mess but the Bengals won big without Burton so all of the drama blew over to some extent. It might soon reignite if it has not already.
An image surfaced on social media that, based on the carpet, appears to show Jermaine Burton at the Hard Rock Casino in downtown Cincinnati.
Burton what you doin pic.twitter.com/f4nMrWK0J2
— Joe Burrow Fan Club (@JoeyBClub) November 4, 2024
The tattoo on the photographed man’s right hand seems to match up with that of the wide receiver.
The sweatshirt seems to be the same one he wore on the sideline on Sunday.
It is not illegal or against NFL rules for a player to play the slots on his own time. We do not know when the photo was captured. We do not know for sure that it was actually Burton.
However, the math seems to add up and the optics here are not great…