Former NFL defensive back Darryl Frank ‘Buster’ Skrine is on the run from police in Canada after allegedly skipping bail and ditching a GPS ankle monitor.
Skrine was originally arrested by Durham Regional Police at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport in August on fraud-related charges totalling over $100,000. On Tuesday, April 9, he was transferred from a correctional centre in Ontario to one in Saskatchewan to face additional fraud charges, at which point he was granted bail on the condition that he return to Durham for court appearances.
The 34-year-old did not show up for his scheduled court date on Monday, May 6, with police alleging that his mandatory ankle tracker went offline shortly thereafter. A warrant for his arrest has since been issued by Durham police on additional charges of failure to appear in court and failure to comply with a release order.
Authorities allege that Skrine visited multiple financial institutions in Durham, Toronto, and Regina and used fraudulent cheques to open bank accounts, leveraging his status as a former professional athlete to receive a monetary advance prior to the cheque clearing.
The native of Decatur, Ga. initially faced four counts of fraud over $5,000 dollars, seven counts of making false statements to procure money, three counts of possessing property obtained by crime over $5,000, and one count of possessing property obtained by crime under $5,000. None of the charges have been proven in court.
Skrine was a star defender at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga before being selected in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. He went on to have an 11-year NFL career with the Browns, New York Jets, Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers, and Tennessee Titans, recording 590 total tackles, 88 pass breakups, and 10 interceptions in 158 games.
The five-foot-nine, 187-pound cornerback announced his retirement in July 2022 after having earned more than $40.3 million in the NFL. His reason for being in Canada is unclear.
