Bengals Wideout Jermaine Burton Accused of Assault
NOTE: Details regarding assault included.
Cincinnati Bengals rookie Jermaine Burton, who was mysteriously absent from the team in the final week of the season, has been accused of assault by a former girlfriend who was 19 at the time.
Burton is facing serious allegations of physical assault involving his ex-girlfriend. The incident reportedly took place Dec. 30, involving a woman he had met in late 2024.
Burton was drafted in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Bengals. The player boasted major upside after leading Alabama in receiving last year.
The Enquirer broke the news Wednesday after obtaining a police report and recording of a 9-1-1 call by Burton's accuser, who opted not to press charges against the player.
The woman had dated Burton ‘on-and-off' since Sept. 2024.
She alleges that on Dec. 30, Burton engaged in an argument before he allegedly chased her into her apartment complex, choked her, damaged her phone and threatened to kill himself with a knife.
"Jermaine Burton on the Bengals just broke into my house," the woman said in the 9-1-1 call. "He broke my phone."
CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 22: Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton (81) walks off the field after the game against the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals on December 22, 2024, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, OH. (Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
"He's been like pretty abusive. He does a lot of things that I don't tolerate," she added in the call.
The woman was sobbing throughout the call, the outlet noted.
She continued, "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."
More harrowing details from the call are included. The woman's name was redacted from police reports, and Burton left the scene by the time authorities arrived.
Burton posted on his social media over the weekend that he was battling "lies."
"He got in my dishwasher and he grabbed a knife and he held it to his neck," the woman said in the call to police.
"I don't f**king deserve this," she said. "I'm only 19."
The Cincinnati Bengals released a statement to the outlet regarding the situation.
"We are aware of information related to Jermaine Burton," the team announced. "We will continue to evaluate as we gather additional details and will have no further comment at this time."
Jermaine Burton hit a female Tennessee fan in 2022.
Burton was surprisingly absent from the Week 18 season finale.
The rookie did not travel with the team, and news emerged of an eviction Burton had been dealing with at the time.
Burton's absence was ruled a coach's decision. The incident allegedly happened days before Burton's announced absence.
The 6-foot, 23-year-old Bengals receiver is often remembered for a controversial incident during his college days at Alabama, when, in January 2022, he allegedly struck a female fan in the head as fans rushed the field at Neyland Stadium following Tennessee's 52-49 upset win over the Crimson Tide.
At the time, former Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said Burton got ‘startled’ by running Vols fans before hitting the female fan.
Cincinnati fell short of the playoffs this season and finished third in the AFC North, 9-8.
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