Ex-Jets CB Buster Skrine, who stands accused of skipping bail on bank fraud charges, allegedly on the run from police in Canada

Skrine, who played 11 seasons in the NFL, is now a fugitive in Canada.

Ex-Jets CB Buster Skrine, who stands accused of skipping bail on bank fraud charges, allegedly on the run from police in Canada

Former Browns, Bears and Jets CB Buster Skrine on the run from police in Canada (Image via IMAGO)

Former Chicago Bears defensive back Buster Skrine is on the run from the Canadian police. The former NFL player failed to show up for a court hearing on Monday, and the police are actively searching for him.

The fifth-round pick was arrested in August 2023 for allegedly defrauding several banks by making transactions worth $100,000 in cash from bogus checks. NBC Sports‘ Charean Williams reported that he was penalized with as many as 15 charges. 

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Four counts of fraud over $5,000, seven counts of making false statements to produce money, three counts of possession of property obtained by a crime over $5,000, and one count of possession of property obtained by a crime over $5,000.
Williams wrote

Skrine was detained at a correctional facility in Ontario before being transferred to Saskatchewan. The police report suggested that he was granted conditional bail on April 9. He had to wear a GPS-enabled ankle monitor, along with frequent check-ins with the local police station. 

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After not appearing in front of the Durham Region Court on May 6, the police sent out a lookout notice in Buster Skrine’s name.

How good was Buster Skrine in the NFL?

Skrine played college football for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he was twice named the first-team All-Sourthern American. The Cleveland Browns then selected him 137th overall in 2011.

Ex-Jets CB Buster Skrine, who stands accused of skipping bail on bank fraud charges, allegedly on the run from police in Canada
Buster Skrine (Image via ESPN)

He spent four seasons in Cleveland before moving on to the New York Jets, signing a $25 million contract for four years. After Antonio Cromartie left the team, Skrine bagged the starting CB role with the gang green. He started 40 games in the next three seasons, recording a couple of interceptions, three forced fumbles, and 23 pass deflections.

The Chicago Bears came calling, and he accepted the offer to join them in 2019. He penned a three-year, $16.6 million contract but started only seven games in two seasons before they released him in 2020.

Skrine went back to Chattanooga and agreed to join the Tennessee Titans for one year. He only played seven more games in 2021, which proved to be his final year in the NFL.

In 11 seasons in the league, Buster Skrine played a total of 95 games, recording 3.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, 10 interceptions, and 16 tackles for losses. Despite earning nearly $40 million in his professional football career, Skrine is now a fugitive in Canada, running from the law.

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