Just two days away from an exciting watershed moment in the history of the Denver Broncos in which George Paton was appointed as the new general manger, the team had to confront a landmine with public relations in which its most famous player was involved.
9NEWS‘Mike Klis reported on Friday that Von Miller, a star-striker, is currently being investigated by a criminal investigation by the Parker Police Department in Colorado. The Parker PD has confirmed 9NEWS that a criminal investigation is underway into Miller, but does not comment on its nature.
The disturbing news was removed more or less a week from Miller’s significant other shared screenshots of private conversations with the eight-time Pro Bowler that put him, let’s say, in a very unflattering light. He later responded with a comment on an Instagram story suggesting that the screenshots and their interpretation were ‘fake news’.
While some quickly came to the conclusion in the immediate aftermath of the criminal investigation into the Parker PD, Me’Gan Denise – Miller’s pregnant girlfriend – issued a statement via her Instagram account on Friday to emphatically say that ‘ a rumor of domestic violence on her is boyfriend’s part is false.
“In light of recent media reports about my relationship with Von, I feel I need to address a few things,” Denise wrote. ‘First, at no point in our relationship was there any form of physical abuse or violence by Von, whatsoever. If someone else says, or so speculates, it is wrong.
‘As for my (previous) social media posts, a section has been misinterpreted and taken out of context. I regret that I made a private situation public and thus brought Von and myself unwanted attention.
‘Von and I are excited to welcome our baby into the world, and are committed to raising our child as a family with love and compassion.
Sincerely, Megan Denise. ‘
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Clearly, any criminal investigation into a player of Miller’s caliber and importance to the Broncos cannon is worrying, but it’s important to remember that he has not been charged with the case at this stage. The best way to take Broncos Country is to allow the Parker PD to do its job and let the investigation play out before any conclusion is reached.
However, the timing of this criminal investigation into Miller is very invalid. Reports have surfaced following Paton’s appointment as GM that the Broncos Miller is likely to approach a restructuring of the contract. Paton allegedly wanted Miller, but not at his current price of $ 17.5 million.
Miller turns 32 in March and is recovering from a 2020 season that was completely lost due to an ankle injury that required corrective surgery. The Broncos have a team option to include the final year of the contract that made him the highest paid defensive player in NFL history in 2016. That means the Broncos have the privilege of exercising, or picking up, or letting go of Miller’s option.
If the team did not use Miller’s option, he would be a free agent who would not be able to sign with any NFL team. The Broncos tend to negotiate with the former Super Bowl 50 MVP in the hope that he will either accept a saving or work out some sort of contract extension that will lower his salary rate from 2021 and give him additional years in the term.
Paton is expected to be in Denver on Saturday. Instead of conducting an interview with the front office and reconnaissance personnel, for the first time, the GM will have to confront a major drama involving the Broncos’ everyday leader in pockets. Following the news of the Parker PD investigation, the team released a statement on Friday to 9NEWS.
For now, all the team does can gather as much information about the situation as possible and make things play out. The fan base should use its clues from there.
Again, during the press, we do not know why Miller is being investigated, and based on Denise’s social media statement, his key person steadfastly denied that any form of physical abuse took place. For now, we are in a holding pattern until further information is released.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.