Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals approached the 2024 season fully locked in on the game, but the quarterback also faced a troubling off-field situation. After a break-in at his home, Burrow decided to back out of a $3 million luxury deal.
Burrow revealed in the latest season of Netflix’s Quarterback, released Tuesday, that he called off his planned purchase of a fully operational replica Batmobile. The change of heart followed a break-in at his Cincinnati home last December, which occurred while the Bengals were on the road facing the Dallas Cowboys.
“I didn’t end up getting the Batmobile because I just had other things I wanted to deal with at that point,” Burrow remarked.
The Bengals star quarterback’s plan to buy the novelty vehicle first surfaced during last year’s in-season edition of Hard Knocks, which followed the AFC North teams. However, in Quarterback, he confirmed the break-in ultimately changed his mind.
Joe Burrow’s cancelled purchase
Netflix’s Quarterback and HBO’s Hard Knocks both spotlighted Burrow’s excitement about buying the $3 million vehicle. But after the break-in, his attitude shifted. On the show, Burrow explained how the burglary triggered a federal grand jury indictment and multiple arrests, with authorities accusing a large criminal network of robbing his Cincinnati home.
“I just get very uncomfortable. My life is very public. That comes with the job, but there’s certain parts of your life that are yours. Your house is one of those,” Burrow said during the show.
This was not an isolated incident. According to ESPN, federal prosecutors tied the burglary to an organized crime ring. In February, a federal grand jury in Ohio indicted three men — Jordan Francisco Quiroga Sanchez, Bastian Alejandro Orellana Morales, and Sergio Andrés Ortega Cabello — in connection with multiple break-ins, including the one at Burrow’s home.
In one Quarterback scene, Burrow talks with former Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo about the break-in. He explains how the media swarmed his home afterward and how personal details, including his link to social media influencer Olivia Ponton, surfaced publicly. Burrow admits the entire situation raised serious, lasting concerns about his safety and privacy.
“We’ll see if I end up moving or not,” Burrow told Anarumo.
Legal documents confirm that Burrow still owns the property he bought for $7.5 million in July 2023, just before finalizing his $275 million contract extension with the Bengals.