The Cincinnati Bengals had an extremely rough season. In a year that they were supposed to contend for supremacy in the AFC, the Bengals failed to even reach the playoffs after getting off to an 0-3 start at the beginning of the season.
The Bengals also dealt with a host of off-the-field issues. Quarterback Joe Burrow had his house broken into, fans were upset after the organization failed to sign star receivers Ja’Maar Chase and Tee Higgins to extensions, and rookie receiver Jermaine Burton was unhappy with his role on the team.
Now, there’s more troubling news concerning Burton.
According to Cincinnati.com, Burton was accused of assaulting a 19-year-old woman he was dating at the time. An assault was reported on the morning of December 30th, although charges were not pressed.
Just days later the Bengals refrained from bringing Burton to the team’s final game of the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers, although no reason was provided for the decision not to include him.
Cincinnati.com provided a transcript of the call the alleged victim made to police.
“Jermaine Burton on the Bengals just broke into my house,” the caller said. “He broke my phone.
“He’s been like pretty abusive. He does a lot of things that I don’t tolerate.”
The caller told police they’d been out the night before when Burton became angry with her.
“He was yelling at me in the car and he was screaming at me and saying things.”
The caller said that although they went their separate ways, Burton was waiting for her at her home.
“He wouldn’t let me go inside. And he choked me (unintelligible) in the hallway. 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.”
Burton allegedly even threatened suicide.
“He said he was going to kill himself. He’s a narcissist. He’s a manipulator, ” the caller added.
“He got in my dishwasher and he grabbed a knife and he held it to his neck. I don’t [expletive] deserve this,” she said. “I’m only 19.”
It’s an extremely disturbing situation, and hopefully, the caller is safe now.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.