Getty Former Jets CB Buster Skrine is wanted by police.
Former New York Jets cornerback Buster Skrine is wanted in Canada after failing to attend a scheduled court appearance, police said.
According to Durham Regional Police in Ontario, Skrine was scheduled to appear in court on May 6 but did not appear and “his GPS went offline” in April.
Skrine, 35, whose given name is Daryl, had been released on bail on April 12 from a jail in Saskatchewan on the condition that he followed a GPS monitoring program and return to Ontario for the May 6 hearing, police said.
Skrine, who played 11 years in the NFL, is accused of “committing over $100,000 in bank fraud,” according to The New York Post. He was arrested in August 2023, police said.
Durham is a small town about two hours northwest of Toronto.
Additional Details of Buster Skrine’s Legal Issues
Skrine has dealt with significant legal trouble since retiring from the NFL in April 2022, after playing four seasons with the Cleveland Browns, four with the Jets, two with the Chicago Bears and parts of his final season with the Tennessee Titans and San Francisco 49ers.
Police told Toronto’s CP24.com that Skrine’s illegal activity began in September 2022 when he deposited fraudulent checks at multiple banks and credit unions around Durham.
Skrine eventually used these fraudulent checks to withdraw more than $100,000 across Canada, police said, according to CP24.
“He (the suspect) did use his position as a former NFL player to the banks as he was depositing the checks,” Sergeant Joanne Bortoluss told CP24. “The investigators are still going through the evidence that they have. If that evidence leads to grounds for additional charges then additional charges would be laid. However, that part of the investigation is still ongoing.”
The investigation into Skrine began in July 2023, the story said. He was arrested a month later at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport after authorities became aware that he had made plans to return to the United States in order to avoid being caught, the story said.
Buster Skrine Had a Respectable NFL Career
Prior to his legal troubles, Skrine had carved out a respectable career in the NFL.
Prior to going pro, Skrine was a star cornerback at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He saw significant action in all four seasons for the program, earning First Team All-Southern Conference honors twice. He recorded 155 total tackles, five interceptions, and 21 pass breakups in 42 career games.
Skrine declared for the NFL draft after his senior season. However, he was overlooked in the pre-draft process coming from a small school at just 5-foot-9 and 186 pounds. The Cleveland Browns eventually picked him in the fifth round of the 2011 draft.
The Browns kept Skrine around for four seasons, but he left in free agency after his rookie deal expired. The Jets scooped him up on a four-year, $25 million deal during the 2015 offseason.
Skrine became a solid part of New York’s secondary for four seasons. He played in 59 games, racking up 224 total tackles, 30 pass breakups, 3 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles and 2.5 sacks.
Spotrac estimates his career earnings in the NFL at $40.4 million.