Joe Burrow received some unexpected off-the-field support from a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model, who is not his long-time girlfriend, Olivia Holzmacher. Multiple reports on Tuesday revealed that Olivia Ponton was the one who dialed 911 during a break-in at Burrow's Ohio home on Monday.
At the time, the Bengals quarterback was in Dallas, leading his team to victory against the Cowboys on "Monday Night Football." TMZ Sports reported that Ponton, who has a massive TikTok following of eight million, alerted police about the break-in at Burrow's upscale home on Monday evening around 8:14 p.m. Ponton told cops that upon arriving, she found "a shattered bedroom window and the room ransacked"
Timely Call
"Someone broke into my house," Ponton told her TikTok followers that she alerted authorities over the phone. "It's like completely messed up. ... Can we please send more people?"
It is unclear why Ponton was at Burrow's home. However, records from the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office indicate that she is "employed by Mr. Burrow."
According to the police report, Ponton provided officers with "a non-detailed itemization of what items were possibly missing" following the break-in.
Burrow has been in a relationship with Olivia Holzmacher since their college days at Ohio State, with the couple making their relationship public in 2017.
Last year, former Bengals cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones claimed during an appearance on ESPN's The Pat McAfee Show that the two were engaged, although neither Burrow nor Holzmacher has confirmed this.
Eagle-eyed fans also noted that Olivia appeared to be wearing an engagement ring around the same time, fueling speculation. However, the pair hasn't been seen together publicly since Holzmacher posted a photo of them in January, sparking online rumors that they may have split.
Upon discovering the break-in at Burrow's home, Ponton reportedly called her mother, Diane, who then contacted the police. During the call, Diane was heard asking: "[Olivia] is wondering what she should do, if she should be hiding or if she should be going outside."
In a separate call, Ponton herself said: "Someone broke into my house... It's like completely messed up."
A Lot in Mystery
Neither Burrow nor Ponton has made any public statements about the burglary or her presence at the NFL star's home that evening. Earlier this year, the NFL warned teams and players about a string of burglaries targeting high-profile athletes, following incidents at the homes of Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
Both players experienced break-ins last month. Kelce reportedly lost $100,000 worth of jewelry and his first-ever Super Bowl jersey. Meanwhile, Mahomes had various items stolen, including jerseys, medals, trophies, awards, as well as jewelry and designer bags belonging to his wife, Brittany.
Authorities later revealed that they believe a South American crime ring was responsible for the burglaries at the athletes' luxury homes.
The FBI has been looking into the break-ins, including one at the home of another current NFL player, and suspects that the thieves are part of a larger criminal network. As a result, players have been advised to take additional security measures at their homes.
Athletes from other sports have also become targets. NBA player Bobby Portis, for example, revealed that thieves raided his home and stole "most of his prized possessions" while he was playing for the Milwaukee Bucks last month. "Is it legit," an insider was quoted as saying, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
"It's a transnational crime ring, and over the last three weeks, they've focused on NBA and NFL players, and it's all over the country."
