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Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model Olivia Ponton, the woman who reported an alleged burglary at the home of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, has been romantically involved with the former Heisman Trophy winner for several months, PEOPLE reported on Monday (December 17).
Burrow, 28, and Ponton, 22, have been "hooking up since early fall and are keeping it casual," an insider confirmed. The former No. 1 overall pick was previously believed to be engaged to longtime girlfriend Olivia Holzmacher, though it was never officially confirmed publicly, and it was previously unclear why Ponton was at Burrow's home.
A police report identified the model as a "22-year-old woman who says she's employed by Burrow."
"Feel like I'll start out by saying something before any questions today," Burrow said to kickoff his press conference last Wednesday (December 11). "So obviously everybody has heard what has happened. I feel like my privacy has been violated in more ways than one, and way more is already out there than I would want out there and that I care to share. So that's all I got to say about that."
Ponton reportedly noticed a "shattered bedroom window and the room ransacked" and called her mother, who then contacted police.
"[Olivia] is wondering what she should do, if she should be hiding or if she should be going outside," her mother said in police audio.
"Someone broke into my house ... It’s like completely messed up," Olivia, herself, later said in a separate call.
The incident reportedly took place while Burrow was in Arlington, Texas, for the Bengals' 27-20 Monday Night Football win against the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Burrow threw for 369 yards, three touchdowns and one interception on 33 of 44 passing, which included a game-winning 40-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase -- who had previously caught a 5-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter -- with 1:01 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The reported incident took place two months after Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce were the victims of similar incidents hours apart.
A burglary at Mahomes' Belton, Missouri, estate was reported "at around midnight on October 6," according to Cass County Sheriff's Office documents obtained by the website. Kelce's Leawood, Kansas, mansion was reportedly broken into hours later on October 7, prior to the Chiefs' Monday Night Football win against the New Orleans Saints.