LAS COLINAS, Texas — During the Cincinnati Bengals’ Monday night game at the Dallas Cowboys this week, quarterback Joe Burrow’s house was burglarized.
Burrow was the third known NFL player targeted in a string of high-profile attacks.
NFL security is partnering with the FBI to investigate, league commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed this week.
“I have been in touch directly with the union as well as our security department,” Goodell said Wednesday from the league’s annual winter meeting. “So, yes, there are things that all of us can do to take precautions and should do. When you’re in a high-profile position and you see someone on television and realize they’re not home, does that open up potential? So I think all of that is something we are all trying to address.
“But it's clear there's some organized fashion here that we hope the FBI and authorities can handle.”
Burrow’s Cincinnati-area home was burglarized roughly two months after those of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce. In the NBA, Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley Jr. were burglarized.
Model and influencer Olivia Ponton was at Burrow's home during the break-in, according to a Hamilton County Sheriff's Office obtained by the Cincinnati Enquirer. The publicity surrounding Burrow's house guest and the burglary frustrated the quarterback.
“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 than I would care to share,” Burrow said in introductory remarks during his weekly news conference. “We live a public life and one of my least favorite parts of that is the lack of privacy. That has been difficult for me to deal with my entire career. Still learning. I understand it’s the life we choose. Doesn’t make it any easier to deal with.”
Burrow declined to detail the burglary, though the sheriff’s report said that someone broke into the home through a rear, first-floor window and avoided leaving fingerprints, per the Enquirer.
Burrow said he’s usually “pretty good” at compartmentalizing his personal life to play but “it’s definitely been difficult this week.”
The NFL sent a memo to team security directors as well as the NFLPA last month warning that “the homes of professional athletes across multiple sports leagues have become increasingly targeted for burglaries by organized and skilled groups,” per a copy of the memo obtained by Yahoo Sports. Game days have been a common time for these burglaries, the memo said.
The memo recommended players take caution with what they post on social media, including avoiding posting images of expensive items like jewelry and clothing.
League security recommended alarm systems, cameras and motion-sensor lights, noting that burglary groups used extensive surveillance tactics including attempted home deliveries or faux grounds maintenance and jogging.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said Thursday that he hired personal security this year after one of his cars was broken into previously.
“It's a little too close for my comfort with my family being in the house,” Tagovailoa said. “So we got personal security to take care of all of that. When we’re on the road, we got someone with my wife. Got someone also at the house surveying the house. So just to let that be known, they are armed.
“So I hope if you decide to go to my house, you think twice.”