• Ben BabyJan 6, 2026, 04:44 PM ET

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      Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN’s NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).

CINCINNATI — Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt was sentenced to five days of jail time for a driving incident, an Ohio judge ruled Tuesday.

Taylor-Britt reached a plea deal regarding charges from an incident stemming on Sept. 14. Taylor was facing misdemeanor charges of driving without a license and reckless driving. The ruling was delivered after Hamilton County judge Bernie Bouchard declined to grant Taylor-Britt community service following a court hearing in Cincinnati.

The reckless driving charge is a misdemeanor charge punishable up to 30 days in jail, a $250 fine or a combination of both. After the verdict was delivered, Joseph Tekulve, Taylor-Britt’s attorney, attempted to set a fixed date for the Bengals cornerback to serve his jail time.

Bouchard insisted that it be done immediately.

“That’s a gift,” Bouchard told Taylor-Britt on Tuesday. “Five days instead of 30. He’s got to do them now. It’ll be over soon enough.”

City officials alleged that Taylor-Britt did a burnout on the wrong side of the road on Sept. 14, less than a half mile from Paycor Stadium following Cincinnati’s Week 2 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

While court records indicate the incident occurred on Sept. 14, county attorneys testified in court that the incident in question occurred in June. A request for comment left for the Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney’s office was not immediately returned.

The hearing Tuesday morning started initially without Taylor-Britt. Tekulve told Bouchard that the Bengals cornerback was available on standby and while a plea deal was on the verge of being reached, Taylor-Britt had not officially received a valid license.

“This is getting old,” said Bouchard, who then instructed to Tekulve to have Taylor-Britt arrive at the courthouse before noon Tuesday under the likelihood of serving jail time.

Two hours later, Taylor-Britt entered the courthouse on crutches. He is recovering from a Lisfranc injury on his left foot that required surgery.

During the second half of Tuesday’s hearing, Taylor-Britt made his guilty plea official.

“I just want to apologize, first and foremost for my actions that I’ve put everybody else through,” Taylor-Britt said. “Not intentional in [any] way.”

Tekulve said that Taylor-Britt was at a Kentucky transportation office Tuesday to receive his new license. The attorney also told the judge that Taylor-Britt has not driven since October and is selling the vehicle involved in the incident.

“I planned already to knock out those things that got me into this place,” Taylor-Britt told Bouchard. “Because it’s not me.”

Bouchard was not moved. He took exception to why Taylor-Britt was driving without a license when the incident occurred.

“You’re putting yourself and everybody else in danger on the street,” Bouchard said. “Why?”

“No reason at all,” Taylor-Britt said.

Despite the plea and the cornerback’s contrition, Bouchard sentenced Taylor-Britt to jail time immediately.

The trial date was initially set for Nov. 20 but then moved to Tuesday, two days after the end of Cincinnati’s season. Taylor-Britt has not played since he was placed on injured reserve on Nov. 21 following the injury he suffered in a Week 11 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Taylor-Britt, 26, began the season as one of the team’s starting outside cornerbacks. However, he was benched, a healthy scratch for the team’s Week 7 game against Pittsburgh before returning to the starting role before the injury.

The 2022 second-round pick is set to be a free agent after the expiration of his rookie deal. Cincinnati currently has Dax Hill and DJ Turner II slotted as its top outside cornerbacks.

Taylor-Britt spoke to reporters Monday, before his criminal case was publicized by media reports. Given his playing situation in Cincinnati, Taylor-Britt said he would be open to playing for a new team next season.

“I’m not opposed to it,” Taylor-Britt said. “At the end of the day, I don’t think anybody would be mad at a new change of scenery.”