Cincinnati Bengals’ wide receiver Jermaine Burton’s absence from team practice on Sunday, August 10, has raised eyebrows, as reported by ESPN. Due to an undisclosed injury, the player is currently on a day-to-day status with the team. He recently shared a social media post that cleared speculation regarding his absence from the field.
Jermaine Burton clears the air
“Several posts and headlines have circulated regarding my absence from the field yesterday. Unfortunately, some of these reports have omitted important context, leading to false assumptions about my commitment and character,” Burton wrote.
"To be clear—my absence was DUE TO INJURY, not for any other reason. Any suggestion otherwise is simply untrue. I take my role with the Bengals and my preparation for this season seriously, and I am focused on recovering and getting back on the field as soon as possible."
“I appreciate those in the media who report responsibly and truthfully. For those who do not understand that misleading headlines, your clickbait articles at the expense of my reputation and selective wording have real impacts not just on me, but on my family, teammates, and fans.”
“Thank you to everyone who has reached out with support. I’ll be back out there soon, and I look forward to continuing to work hard for this team and our fans.”
{{/usCountry}}“Thank you to everyone who has reached out with support. I’ll be back out there soon, and I look forward to continuing to work hard for this team and our fans.”
{{/usCountry}}This marks the only training camp session that Burton has missed yet. He currently ranks behind Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Andrei Iosivas on the depth chart.
Contributions to the team
It’s clear that Burton is actively trying to move up the ranks in the Bengals. Drafted in the third round last season as the 80th overall pick, he faced an underwhelming rookie season by recording only 107 yards, as reported by Sports Illustrated.
Despite this, he seems to have gained the favor of Bengals’ offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher, who spoke of Burton in high regard on Sunday. "He made a lot of plays early in camp. Jermaine's best when you can get him in a true one-on-one matchup down the sideline," he said, as reported by Sports Illustrated. "He can track the ball in the air. He's got tremendous ball skills, [he] didn't have a lot of opportunity to show that the other night. The single word I keep coming back to, Jermaine, is just consistency, right? You don't have a lot of opportunity the other night. How do we respond? How do we go about our day-to-day professional job? And we'll just continue to be the emphasis with him."
Burton now clearly wishes to make a speedy return to the field in order to prove his abilities.
– With inputs from By Stuti Gupta