“When you’re on cloud nine, something’s gonna bring you right back down. It just felt like the kind of year that it was.” NFL stardom comes with a big price. Bengals QB Joe Burrow had to learn that the hard way back in December. After securing a 27-20 victory over Dallas on December 9th, Burrow went back to the locker room to celebrate their road win with his teammates. But that celebration was quickly cut short when he found out that his home had been broken into. But the QB didn’t just lose valuable possessions in that break-in; he also had to let go of a dream.

‘I’m Burrow’ has a similar ring to ‘I’m Batman’, doesn’t it? Burrow was on his way to carving a voice similar to Christian Bale’s iconic line. Owning one of the 10 Batmobile replicas created by Wayne Enterprises was something Burrow had been looking forward to. Back on December 3rd, on an episode of Hard Knocks, Burrow had revealed he was in line to get the car that’s every kid’s dream. But as the QB revealed recently, he had to back away from that ownership following the burglary that came just days after the revelation on Hard Knocks. 

In episode 6 of Netflix’s second season of the documentary Quarterback Season 2, Joe Burrow shared the details of that day. The episode featured the moment when he walked back to the locker room in Dallas and heard the news. He was so shaken by the incident that he discarded the idea of owning the Batmobile worth over $2.9 million. As Burrow noted on the show, “I didn’t end up getting the Batmobile because I had other things that I wanted to deal with at that point.” At the time, the incident was reported to the authorities by Olivia Ponton, Burrow’s rumored girlfriend, who happened to be in the residence at the time of the break-in. Headlines followed like wildfire, and Burrow wasn’t all for it. 

The Hamilton County break-in notably came just two months after similar incidents that happened with Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. All the robberies happened while the athletes were away for games. For Joe Burrow, it wasn’t just about losing the chance to own a Batmobile or losing valuable possessions. It was about the breach of his privacy that the star wasn’t ready for.

Joe Burrow balancing stardom and privacy

On the show, Burrow is seen talking to the then-defensive coordinator Lou Armano. Armano noted that he found out about the incident on the news, and coming right after a much-needed victory over Dallas, even Armano felt it was unfair. As Burrow doubled down with Armano, “That’s probably the worst part. 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. It sucks.” The hit to his privacy was so big that the QB even thought about switching houses. Burrow has noted on multiple occasions since then that he wasn’t okay with his life being out in public.

For Joe Burrow, the 2025 season brings even more headlines in the aftermath of the break-in. Being a QB comes with its own scrutiny, and now he has the added loss of privacy. His sightings with Olivia Ponton since then have also gotten their share of the limelight. Burrow understands the consequences of being an NFL star, but as he noted on the show, “I know the more success that you have, the more people are going to care about the things that you do. But it doesn’t make it easier.”