Bengals rookie wide receiver has been in the headlines in recent weeks, and it has unfortunately come for all of the wrong reasons.
Burton came into the NFL with some character concerns, ultimately sliding into Round 3 after being regarded as a Round 1 talent by some scouts. Those character issues have flared up throughout his rookie season with Burton being a healthy scratch in multiple games for various reasons,
The (most recent) saga started with reports that Burton would not travel with the team to Pittsburgh ahead of the Bengals’ Week 18 matchup with the Steelers.
The latest development in the story finally provides some clarity as to why head coach Zac Taylor opted to leave Burton behind in Cincinnati.
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Where is Jermaine Burton?
Burton did not travel with the Bengals to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers in the regular season finale. This decision was made by Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor.
The Bengals have not commented on the matter, though recently, Burton was evicted from his apartment in Cincinnati and sued by his landlord. In a further development, Burton has been accused of committing assault, although no charges were filed.
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Jermaine Burton timeline of trouble
The recent assault allegation is not the first Burton has been in the news for all the wrong reasons.
Week 9 healthy scratch
Burton was a healthy scratch for the Bengals’ Week 9 game against the Raiders. It was reported that he missed a walk-through the day before the game. Burton was expected to see an increased role against Las Vegas with Tee Higgins out that week, but he was not available for the contest.
“As the week unfolded, there was a lot of positive things people were saying about him,” Taylor said Nov. 3. “It was all true. And then late in the week … we’ve just got to handle business the right way. And so, I can sit here and say it was a difficult decision to make him inactive, but it was absolutely the right decision with all the information we had.”
He didn’t help his cause when he showed up for the game the next morning in pajama pants.
Burton evicted from Cincinnati apartment
Week 18 wasn’t just a bad week for Burton with the Bengals. He also found himself evicted from his apartment in Cincinnati and hit with a lawsuit from his landlord.
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Burton reportedly was given a three-day notice to vacate his apartment on Dec. 17, but the wide receiver has not complied.
The landlord is seeking over $2,500 in rent and an additional $75.35 per day for every day that Burton does not leave the apartment, according to court documents.
Burton accused of assault
A report from the Cincinnati Enquirer on Jan. 8 finally revealed the potential reason as to why Burton did not travel with the team to Pittsburgh in Week 18.
On the morning of Dec. 30, Burton was accused of assaulting a woman he was dating outside of her apartment. In a 911 call obtained by the Enquirer, the alleged victim can be heard saying “Jermaine Burton on the Bengals just broke into my house. He wouldn’t let me go inside. And he choked me (unintelligible) in the hallway.. 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.”
Ultimately, the woman refused to press charges and it appears that Burton will not have to appear in court for these alleged actions.
As of now, the Cincinnati Bengals have no comment on the matter.
