Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has spoken out following his home invasion that was reported to authorities by model Olivia Ponton on December 9.
“So obviously everybody has heard what has happened,” the 28-year-old NFL star said at a Bengals press conference two days later.
“I feel like my privacy has been violated in more ways than one, and way more is already out there than I would want out there and that I care to share so that’s all I got to say about that,” he continued.
On Monday, an unidentified intruder burglarized the NFL star’s house in Anderson Township, Ohio. Burrow was away in Texas for his team’s game against the Dallas Cowboys that day. Ponton, a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model, happened to arrive at Burrow’s home shortly after.
A police report obtained by TMZ Sports noted that the robbery had been phoned in by a 22-year-old female at 8:14 p.m.. According to the call transcript, the woman on the phone said she saw a “shattered bedroom window” and a “ransacked” room upon her arrival.
“Someone broke into my house ... It’s like completely messed up,” she continued to the cops.
Ponton is said to have called her mother Diane, who was prompted to phone the police. In Diane’s call audio, she says: “Someone is trying to break into the house right now. My daughter is there. This is Joe Burrow’s house. She is staying there. He’s at the football game. She’s wondering what she should do, if she should be hiding or if she should be going outside.”
According to the Sheriff’s Office, Ponton provided deputies with a rough list of missing items.
There has been no explanation as to why Ponton was at Burrow’s house other than the Hamilton Country Sheriff’s Office documents that describe her as one of Burrow’s employees.
Burrow has been in a relationship with Olivia Holzmacher since 2015, according to Sports Illustrated. Fans speculated that the pair were engaged last summer after Holzmacher tagged the football player in an Instagram post featuring an engagement ring.
When asked if he was frustrated about his personal information being leaked since the incident, Burrow told reporters: “We live a public life, and you know, one of my least favorite parts of that is the lack of privacy and that has been difficult for me to deal with my entire career.
“Still learning, but I understand it’s a life that we choose. Doesn’t make it any easier to deal with,” he continued during Wednesday’s press conference.
Burrow’s break-in is the latest in a series of burglaries targeting NFL and NBA athletes. In October, Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes’ and Travis Kelce’s homes were hit one day apart. Both players were with their team in New Orleans playing against the Saints.
“It’s frustrating, it’s disappointing,” Mahomes admitted. “I can’t get into too many details because the investigation is ongoing,” he said during a November 13 Kansas City Chiefs press conference.
On November 2, the home of Milwaukee Bucks star Bobby Portis was burglarized, just over a month and a half after Minnesota Timberwolves player Mike Conley Jr. experienced a break-in on September 15.
