Bills GM: Von Miller to practice, play while facing domestic violence charge in Dallas
Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane stressed Wednesday he wants the legal process to play out and not rush to making any judgements.
By The Associated Press
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Though disappointed in the allegations of domestic violence made against Von Miller, Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane stressed on Wednesday that he wants the legal process to play out and not rush to making any judgements.
Otherwise, Beane said, Miller will participate in practice and is expected to play on Sunday when the Bills (6-6) travel to play the Kansas City Chiefs (8-4). Beane spoke for the team as the Bills returned from their bye week off, and a week after Miller turned himself in to police in a Dallas suburb after being charged in a warrant with domestic violence against the mother of his children, who is pregnant.
Miller faces a charge of third-degree felony assault of a pregnant woman, which is punishable by 2 to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. He is free after posting a $5,000 bond.
“No one wants their name associated with any accusation like that, so that’s a natural disappointment. I’m sure he’s disappointed,” Beane said. “But things happen sometimes, and again, we have to remember people, we have to give them their fair due process. That can happen to anyone in this room. And I would hope we would all wait and let that play out before we rush to judgement.”
Saying the Bills are following the NFL’s lead, Beane called the allegations serious while adding they seemed “out of character” for a person he’s come to know over the past year and a half since signing Miller in free agency.
In Dallas, the district attorney’s office informed The Associated Press on Wednesday that it had no updates on the investigation since Miller turned himself in a day after the alleged assault occurred on Nov. 29. According to a police affidavit which officers wrote, Miller twice put his hands on the neck of the woman, pulled out a chunk of her hair and threw her onto a couch. The woman was treated for minor injuries, including bruising on her neck, police said.
The woman and Miller have been in a relationship for seven years and have children together, police wrote in an affidavit supporting the arrest warrant.
Speaking after Beane, Bills coach Sean McDermott said Miller wasn’t going to practice on Wednesday but will practice fully on Thursday as part of a plan that was put in place before the bye week.
As for the allegations, McDermott said: “It’s a very, very serious situation. There’s no ifs, ands or buts about that.” The coach then deferred to Beane in saying the GM spoke for the team, while McDermott was placing his focus on practice.
Beane said he’s discussed what happened with Miller and his representatives but preferred keeping those conversations private. Beane said he’s also been in contact with the NFL and doesn’t anticipate Commissioner Roger Goodell placing Miller on the exempt list.
The NFL issued a statement on Wednesday saying it continues gathering information and following all legal developments.
In the past, players aren’t placed on the commissioner’s exempt list until formal charges are filed by a prosecutor or through the findings of a grand jury, or when the league’s own investigation concludes there was a potential violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
The woman told police she was six weeks pregnant and showed them a photograph of a positive pregnancy test and a screenshot of a text conversation with Miller in which they discussed the possible due date of the child and a doctor visit.
According to police, Miller threw the woman’s laptop on the couch and stomped on it. After pulling out some of her hair and throwing her on a couch, he put both hands on her neck. She told police she recorded some of the attack and, when she threatened to call police, he left.
Miller is the NFL’s active leader in sacks with 123 1/2, which is 19th all-time. Selected No. 2 overall by the Denver Broncos in the 2011 NFL draft, he is a three-time All-Pro and an eight-time Pro Bowl pick. A popular and highly visible player, he has appeared in television commercials for brands including Old Spice and Progressive.
He has two Super Bowl rings, from the 2015 season with the Broncos and 2021 with the Rams after Denver traded him to Los Angeles during that season. He then signed with Buffalo the following spring.
Miller was born in DeSoto, south of Dallas, and was a two-time first-team All-American at Texas A&M. He holds the Broncos’ career record in sacks with 110 1/2.
