Jermaine Burton Shuts Down Al Michaels' Accusation That He Sleeps In Meetings

Published|Updated

Cincinnati Bengals rookie wide receiver Jermaine Burton is shutting down unfounded rumors that he might be sleeping through team meetings.

The rumor started during the first quarter of the Bengals' preseason finale against the Indianapolis Colts. After Burton caught a short pass from Logan Woodside, broadcasters Kirk Herbstreit and Al Michaels began discussing his adjustment to the NFL.

"Just a matter of being really bought into the system and being disciplined and being a pro," Herbstreit said. "That’s the one question I think with him."

Al Michaels then replied, "Yeah, don’t sleep through meetings, right?"

That's an awfully strange and specific thing to casually accuse someone of doing on national television. Not only did Michaels fail to provide any additional details about what may or may not be happening with Burton, but he also never mentioned it again.

Still, even Burton admits his preparation for the season could have been better. During a recent episode of the Bengals Booth Podcast with Dan Hoard, the 23-year-old seemed to imply he lacked focus.

"I could’ve been better in how I’ve been handling my business in my preseason," Burton said. "I could lock in more on my details and the things that I did wrong, but it’s all about how you handle it. It’s all about what it means to you, and I feel like I need to do a better job of showing how much this means to me."

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton catches a pass for a touchdown in a preseason game vs. the Buccaneers.

(Albert Cesare / The Enquirer via USA TODAY Sports)

That said, he didn't appreciate Michaels' comments. He spoke with Elise Jesse of All Bengals about what the legendary broadcaster implied, and he fully denied snoozing in meetings.

"I don’t even know. I don’t know where that came from," he said. "I was confused myself."

The Bengals open their 2024 season Sunday at home against the New England Patriots. Then, Burton will have an opportunity to prove to Al Michaels and everyone else that he deserves to be there.