CINCINNATI — On Wednesday, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow briefly addressed the media regarding a recent incident in which his home was burglarized while he and his team were playing against the Dallas Cowboys. Burrow expressed feelings of violation and discomfort surrounding the invasion of his private space, stating, “I feel like my privacy has been violated in more ways than one. Way more is out there than I would want out there and that I care to share. So that’s all I’ve got to say about that.”
In light of several similar incidents involving professional athletes, both the NFL and NBA issued security warnings to their players last month. The NFL’s alert followed break-ins at the residences of Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce earlier in the month, which raised concerns about player safety during away games.
Mahomes expressed his frustration over the situation, stating, “Obviously it’s frustrating, disappointing.” Within the NBA, burglaries involving players such as Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley Jr. led to the league issuing its own security alert the day after the NFL did. This wave of incidents highlights the growing security concerns for athletes and their families.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa shared that he took precautions by hiring personal security after a break-in incident involving his vehicle last year. He commented, “It was a little too close for my comfort with my family being in the house. So we got personal security to take care of all of that. When we’re on the road, we’ve got someone with my wife, got someone also at the house, surveying the house.”
Fortunately, no one was harmed during the break-in at Burrow’s residence. A report from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office indicated that the home was ransacked and a bedroom window was shattered when an employee arrived at the property. Burrow added, “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 for my entire career. I’m still learning. I understand that’s the life that we choose, but it doesn’t make it any easier to deal with.”