CINCINNATI — When Joe Burrow joined the second season of the Netflix series "Quarterbacks," he likely hoped the show would highlight his on-field accomplishments and give fans a glimpse into his life away from football.
Then, the Bengals quarterback was faced with a very real and raw dilemma: After a big win over the Cowboys on Monday Night Football last December, Burrow learned his home had been burglarized.
"That was definitely a curveball I didn’t quite expect throughout the whole process," Burrow said of the break-in while discussing his decision to do the show earlier this summer. "But the people involved in it, working on it day to day, were great and weren’t too intrusive."
Now, months after three men were indicted for breaking into Burrow's home, stealing nearly $300,000 worth of jewelry and clothing, we're hearing his reaction to the burglary.
While speaking with former defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo at practice, Burrow discusses what was going through his head when he learned the news.
"Freaking pumped up after a big win, walk in (to the locker room), first thing I hear ... we catch a freaking break, and then I come back to that. Brutal," Burrow tells Anarumo.
In the conversation, Burrow notes that most of the items stolen were pieces of jewelry he had insured.
"They could have stolen way worse things than that," Burrow said. "I'm not tripping ... I'm not going crazy about some jewelry."
When Anarumo tells Burrow the worst part is probably seeing the news plastered across TMZ or the New York Post, Burrow agrees.
"Dude it sucks," Burrow said. "That's the only part I'm upset about. Like, all my business is out there ... I got news vans camped out by the house. Yeah, it sucks."
Burrow reiterated that while discussing the break-in during a press conference in December.
"We live a public life, and one of my least favorite parts of that is the lack of privacy," Burrow told reporters at the time. "I understand that it's the life we choose. Doesn't make it any easier to deal with."
In the months since the break-in, three Chilean men who were found to be overstaying their visa permission in the U.S. were arrested and indicted. Officials later announced those men had burglarized the homes of multiple other professional athletes — including players with the Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Milwaukee Bucks and Memphis Grizzlies.
