Fans of the Cincinnati Bengals have already been through enough this season – but yet another blow arrived as their faint hopes of making the playoffs seem further out of reach.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was officially listed by the team as a limited participant in practice on Thursday due to injuries in his right wrist and knee.
It’s unclear exactly when or how Burrow injured himself, as he appeared to be fine in Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans.
This injury to Burrow comes at a time where the Bengals need wins more than ever – currently sitting 6-8 on the season and needing to win out (plus some help from other teams) to achieve their slim chance of making the playoffs. ESPN currently has them at a six percent chance of making the postseason.
It also comes when Burrow’s personal life has had a microscope placed over it in the aftermath of a burglary at his house while he was in Dallas on Monday Night Football.
Not only was his privacy invaded, but particular attention has been paid to the person who placed the call to 9-1-1 – while inside the house.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has been listed on the team’s injury update as a limited participant in practice due to an injury with his right wrist as well as his knee
The injury comes after Burrow’s home was broken into – leading to the revelation that swimsuit model Olivia Ponton (pictured) was at the house and has been ‘hooking up’ with the NFL star
Burrow is said to have been ‘keeping it casual’ with model Ponton ‘since the fall’
TMZ Sports broke the news last week that Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model Olivia Ponton, who boasts eight million followers on TikTok, was responsible for calling the police after a burglary at the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback’s $7.5million mansion.
Her presence at Burrow’s home sparked confusion given that, to public knowledge, he had been in a relationship with long-time girlfriend Olivia Holzmacher since his college days.
The NFL star – who was almost 1,000 miles away in Texas for a Monday Night Football showdown with the Dallas Cowboys when thieves ransacked his luxury pad – or Holzmacher have never announced a split or appeared to suggest as much.
Yet according to People, Burrow had been romantically involved with Ponton months before the home burglary took place last week.
An insider is quoted as saying: ‘They have been hooking up since the early fall and are keeping it casual.’
Burrow met previous girlfriend Holzmacher during their college days at Ohio State, before eventually going public with their romance in 2017.
Holzmacher, whose LinkedIn profile states that she is a data analyst for American retail company Kroger, supported him through the first six-and-a-half years of his NFL career, including when he made it to the Super Bowl for the first time in 2022.
Almost 18 months later, rumors of a potential engagement began to do the rounds.
The influencer was revealed last week to have called cops after a burglary at Burrow’s home
Her presence at Burrow’s mansion sparked confusion given his relationship with long-time girlfriend Olivia Holzmacher (left)
In August 2023 former Bengals cornerback Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones claimed the couple were engaged during an appearance on ESPN’s The Pat McAfee show, though neither party has ever confirmed as much.
Eagle-eyed fans also speculated that Olivia appeared to be wearing an engagement ring at around the same time.
Yet just over a year on, Burrow and Holzmacher appear to no longer be together amid his romance with Ponton.
The stunning influencer is said to have told officers that she noticed ‘a shattered bedroom window and the room ransacked’ when she arrived at his property after the burglary.
Documents from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office stated that she was ’employed by Mr. Burrow’, while the police report added that she gave officers ‘a non-detailed itemization of what items were possibly missing.’
Earlier this week Ponton said she ‘doesn’t recommend’ long-distance relationships as rumors continue to swirl regarding her connection to Joe Burrow.
While she has yet to confirm that she’s seeing Burrow, the model’s latest comments on the ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcast implied as much.
Ponton opened up on ‘Call Her Daddy’ about the challenges of long-distance romance
Ponton, who lives in New York, was asked by host Alex Cooper for her thoughts on long-distance relationships. Burrow of course lives in Cincinnati.
‘I’ve had numerous long-distance relationships and it’s hard,’ she said. ‘I feel like with myself, every relationship that I get into is long-distance, even my friendships… ‘
Ponton shared that having scheduled times to FaceTime with one’s partner can be helpful in long-distance relationships, while re-iterating that the situations are not totally ideal.
‘I don’t recommend it but it’s also kind of inevitable in certain situations.’
