Bengals rookie WR Jermaine Burton has been accused of assault by a woman he was dating, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Police say she reported the assault on the morning of Dec. 30 but refused to press charges. The Bengals decided later that week to keep Burton from traveling with the team to its game in Pittsburgh. They said only that it was a coach decision.
Burton's accuser: "Jermaine Burton on the Bengals just broke into my house. He broke my phone. He's been like pretty abusive. He does a lot of things that I don't tolerate."
Bengals statement: "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."
Burton's off-field red flags were cited as a key reason he lasted until the third round of the 2024 draft. That included an altercation with a female fan after an SEC game.
We'll see what comes of this particular incident. But it's obviously a bad way to finish an otherwise quiet rookie season, even if Burton winds up facing no discipline in this case.
Whether the Bengals keep or dump him this offseason could be telling for his longer-term outlook.
There's enough talent to make Burton stashable on dynasty rosters. But there's also enough to worry about here that you shouldn't feel like you need to keep him.
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