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Alaina Getzenberg, ESPN
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Von Miller was present at the Bills‘ facility on Wednesday and will be available for Sunday’s game at the Chiefs amid an investigation into the alleged assault of a pregnant woman last week, general manager Brandon Beane said.
“We weren’t there. We’re not the investigators,” Beane said. “We don’t, obviously, you know, we had our conversations with Von and understood what he believes happened and so, from that standpoint we can’t get into it. It’s an open investigation, and so we’ll just, we’ll let the legal process play out, and he’ll participate like normal in practice.”
Beane also said that the team has been in “constant communication” with the NFL and that the Bills do not anticipate that Miller will be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list. He said that they would allow the investigation to play out and would follow the lead of the NFL.
“Anytime it’s an ongoing investigation, if something was uncovered that the commissioner does have that, at any point, if he feels there was something that, hey, this is, this doesn’t look good or something like that, if at any point that, they could,” Beane said. “But with our knowledge of what we have today, we don’t expect that.”
Miller, one of eight team captains, had a veteran rest day on Wednesday, but joined fellow defensive linemen in a huddle after practice. He then walked off the field and did not appear in the locker room while media had access.
Coach Sean McDermott said earlier Wednesday that he expected Miller to be a full participant in Thursday’s practice. The rest day coming off the team’s bye week is to get Miller back to the routine they worked on with him last year, per McDermott, and not because of the allegations.
McDermott largely deferred to Beane’s comments, saying, “Yeah, I know Brandon addressed it and that’s where we’re at. So, I don’t see a need to address it after it’s already been addressed,” and later after being further asked about the matter added that “it’s a very, very serious situation and something we don’t take lightly at all.”
Miller, 34, turned himself in Thursday to the Glenn Heights, Texas, Police Department in suburban Dallas after an arrest warrant was issued by the Dallas Police Department on a charge of assault on a pregnant woman.
He faces a charge of third-degree felony assault of a pregnant woman, which is punishable by two to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. He was booked into the DeSoto Tri-City Jail on a $5,000 bond Thursday and released a short time later.
Beane said that the team found out about the allegations and warrant Thursday, around the same time that it became public information.
Last Wednesday at 11 a.m. CT, Dallas police responded to a major disturbance call, with the preliminary investigation showing that Miller and the woman got into a verbal argument and that he allegedly assaulted her. An affidavit for arrest warrant obtained by ESPN detailed that the allegations include Miller putting a hand and later both hands on the woman’s neck for about three to five seconds, pulling her hair and trying to shove her and push out while she was trying to gather her things and leave after he told her to “get out” of the apartment even though they both live there.
Per the affidavit for the arrest warrant obtained by ESPN, the woman and Miller have been in a relationship for seven years and have children together. She told police officers that she is six weeks pregnant. Per the affidavit, when the woman told Miller that she was going to call the police, that prompted him to leave the residence.
Police arrived at the condominium, observed “minor abrasions” on her left hand along with bruising to her neck, “injuries consistent with applied pressure the neck,” in addition to bruising to her abdomen and left biceps, documented when photographs were taken that day by police.
The affidavit notes that, in a 911 call, she identified herself and Miller by name and produced a photograph of a positive at-home pregnancy test along with a screenshot of a text conversation she had with Miller discussing the possible due date and possible location of a future doctor’s visit.
Multiple players throughout the locker room offered support for Miller, while saying they did not have all the information.
“I feel terrible for all parties involved. I hope it works itself out in the most just civil way it can, and the truth prevail[s]. But until then, I’m just gonna do my job, be there for my teammates, all of ’em, and go from there,” center and captain Mitch Morse said. “… I have a personal relationship with Von, it’s strong and he’s been very gracious and cordial and friendly and I’m just going to go off of that and I just, this is just such a touchy subject as it should be. And I know I’m beating around the bush here, because I really don’t want say something that gets misconstrued because no one deserves to be in that situation, so we’ll let the process take care of itself and right now we’re just so focused on the game [vs. the Chiefs.]”
Miller signed with the Bills in 2022 on a six-year, $120 million contract. The pass-rusher has played 19 total games with the team, including eight this season as he comes off a right ACL injury. He has not yet recorded a sack, has two tackles and has a 23.2% pass rush win rate.
Beane said that “if we feel that Von is not one of the best 48 [players] for a given week or all the weeks,” then they would sit him, but that they are hopeful he will continue to improve as he is now about a year out from his surgery.
McDermott did not rule out the possibility of Miller being inactive because of the allegations or his play.
“I’d start by saying [off-field allegations and football-based decisions] are separate to start. And I think that’s important that they stay there. But every situation is a little bit different.”
When asked whether the team would cut Miller if he were found to be guilty, even with significant potential cap ramifications for the future, Beane said, “Let’s just wait and see what happens there from that standpoint, but I think you know us, we’re going to try to do things right.”
