Buster Skrine used to go after wide receivers downfield during his time in the NFL, which included a stint with the Chicago Bears. This time, however, he’s the one on the run, with reports surfacing that police are hunting the former pro defensive back over fraud allegations in Canada.
Skrine was supposed to appear in the court in Durham region but did not show up. He also apparently removed his GPS monitor, as his tracker has gone offline. It did not take the authorities long to figure out that the former Bears cornerback was on the loose, forcing them to look for Skrine with the intention of not just getting him back to appear in court but also adding more to his legal troubles.
However, the Durham Regional Police Service said Wednesday Skrine, who had been out on bail since April 12, never showed up to the date … and a short time later, authorities say they noticed his GPS ankle bracelet had gone offline too.
Now, they say they’re looking to bring him back in … and hit him with some additional criminal charges — failing to appear and failing to comply with the release order.
Skrine was initially arrested in 2023 at a Canadian airport while he was believed to be making his way back to the United States. The arrest was made over allegations that he defrauded multiple Canadian banks for more than $100,000. After introducing himself as a former player in the NFL to the banks, Skrine allegedly opened up accounts and used illegal checks to get money. At that time, he was reportedly hit with a total of 14 charges ranging from fraud and possession of illegally obtained property.
This is not a good look on Skrine, who is only making his situation worse by keeping himself out of reach of the police.
Buster Skrine’s career with the Bears, others
Skrine, who turned 35 years old last April, played a total of two seasons with the Bears from 2019 to 2020. He arrived in Chicago after four years playing in the AFC East division with the New York Jets. Signed to a three-year deal worth $16.5 million by the Bears in 2019, Skrine went on to play for 28 games with the NFC North franchise, recording zero interceptions, eight passes defended, and three forced fumbles. He also racked up a total of 114 tackles (91 solo tackles) and two tackles for loss. Plus, he had two quarterback hits for Chicago.
Skrine was released by the Bears in 2021 to clear nearly three million dollars of cap space. He then inked a deal with the San Francisco 49ers in 2021 but was later released. The Tennessee Titans then signed him to a one-year contract worth $1.27 million. He appeared in six games with the Titans, including three starts, and garnered an interception, three passes defended, and 17 total tackles. In July of 2022, Skrine made the announcement that he was retiring from the NFL.
But where Skrine really started his journey in the NFL was with the Cleveland Browns, who selected him in the fifth round as the 137th overall selection in the 2011 NFL Draft. Among the other notable defensive backs in his draft class were Patrick Peterson, Prince Amukamara, and Jimmy Smith, who all went in the first round.
In 158 games in the NFL, Skrine collected 10 interceptions, 590 combined tackles, and 3.5 sacks.
More must-reads: