Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton is accused of assaulting a woman on December 30, according to police reports obtained by Sharon Coolidge, Cameron Knight, and Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
The woman, who Burton had been dating for several months, accused the player of chasing her inside her apartment, damaging her phone, and then assaulting her, including choking her. The woman also claimed that before Burton left the residence, he threatened to kill himself. The police report says the woman “suffered minor injuries but did not need medical attention.” The woman also initially intended to file charges before changing her mind.
According to Ben Baby of ESPN, the woman also told police that Burton had previously “pushed her down a set of stairs.” That incident hadn’t been reported to the police.
The incident took place days before the Bengals’ regular season finale. Burton didn’t travel with the team to Pittsburgh for that game, with the decision being described as a “coach’s decision.” The organization has since released a statement to the Enquirer:
“We are aware of information related to Jermaine Burton. We will continue to evaluate as we gather additional details and will have no further comment at this time.”
According to The Enquirer, the player is also facing eviction from his apartment, with those proceedings starting last month. ESPN adds that Burton’s “landlord filed an eviction notice and civil lawsuit against him” for lack of payment.
As both The Enquirer and ESPN note, Burton drew concern for his behavior during the pre-draft process. Specifically, the Alabama product was caught hitting a female fan who rushed the field following his team’s loss to the University of Tennessee. That instance (and other unreported anecdotes), led to teams passing on the wide receiver altogether.
Burton was ultimately selected by the Bengals in the third round. He failed to contribute in his 14 appearances, hauling in only four catches for 107 yards.