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Ex-Wisconsin, Cardinals DE Thomas Burke arrested after allegedly sexually assaulting young girl

MADISON, WI - OCTOBER 05: A Wisconsin Badger helmet is raised prior to kickoff durning a college football game between the Kent State Golden Flashes and the Wisconsin Badgers on October 5, 2019, at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, WI. (Photo by Dan Sanger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
A Wisconsin Badger helmet (Photo by Dan Sanger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Former Wisconsin and Arizona Cardinals defensive end Thomas Burke was arrested last week and charged after he allegedly repeatedly sexually assaulted a young girl.

Burke, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, was charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct in St. Louis County, Minnesota — which includes the city of Duluth.

The child reportedly told her mother in February that Burke assaulted her multiple times. Specific details about the abuse or the child’s age aren’t known.

Burke was arrested on Friday, and posted bail on Monday, per the report. He denied the accusations against him in the criminal complaint.

Burke, 44, played at Wisconsin from 1995-1998, and helped lead the Badgers to a Big Ten championship and Rose Bowl win during his senior season. He recorded 22 sacks as a senior, too, which set both the Big Ten single-season record and school record. Burke was inducted into the Wisconsin Hall of Fame last year.

He was selected in the third round of the 1999 draft by the Arizona Cardinals, and played four seasons with them before retiring in 2002.

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