GM says Bills to let Von Miller ‘legal process play out’

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – Von Miller is at the Bills facility and will be available for Sunday's game against the Chiefs as part of an investigation into the alleged assault of a pregnant woman last week, the manager said Wednesday General Brandon Beane.

“We weren't there. We're not the investigators,” Beane said. “We don't know, obviously, you know, we've had our conversations with Von and figured out what he thought 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 as usual in practice.”

Beane also said the team is in “constant communication” with the NFL and that the Bills do not anticipate Miller being placed on the commissioner's exempt list. He said they would let the investigation play out and follow the NFL's lead.

“Whenever it's an ongoing investigation, if something has been discovered and the commissioner has, at some point, if he feels there's been something that, hey , it's, it doesn't look good or something, if at some point that, they might,” Beane said. “But with our knowledge of what we have today, we don’t expect that.”

Coach Sean McDermott said Miller would have a veteran's day off Wednesday, but expected him to participate fully in Thursday's practice. The day off after the team's bye week is intended to get Miller back to the routine they worked on with him last year, according to McDermott, and not because of the allegations.

McDermott largely defers to Beane's comments, saying, “Yeah, I know Brandon talked about it and that's where we're at. So I don't see the need to respond to it once it has already been addressed,” and later after further questioning. regarding this, he added that “this is a very, very serious situation and something that we do not take lightly at all.”

Miller, 34, turned himself in to the police department in Glenn Heights, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, on Thursday after an arrest warrant was issued by the Dallas Police Department for assault on a woman pregnant.

He faces a charge of third-degree criminal assault of a pregnant woman, punishable by two to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. He was booked into the DeSoto Tri-City Jail on Thursday on $5,000 bail and was released shortly after.

Beane said the team learned of the allegations and warrant on Thursday, around the same time the information became public.

Last Wednesday at 11 a.m., 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 an arrest warrant obtained by ESPN details that the allegations include Miller putting one hand, then both hands on the woman's neck for approximately three to five seconds, pulling her hair and trying to push her outside while she was trying to leave after he told her to “get out” of the apartment even though they both live there.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit obtained by ESPN, the woman and Miller have been in a relationship for seven years and have children together. She told police she was six weeks pregnant. According to the affidavit, when the woman told Miller she was going to call the police, it prompted him to leave the residence.

Police arrived at the condo and observed “minor abrasions” on his left hand as well as bruising to his neck, “injuries consistent with pressure applied to the neck,” as well as bruising to his abdomen and biceps left, noticed later when taking photos.

The affidavit states that in a 911 call, she identified herself and Miller by name and produced a photograph of a positive home pregnancy test as well as a screenshot of a text conversation she had with Miller discussing the possible due date and possible location of the birth. a future visit to the doctor.

Miller signed with the Bills in 2022 on a six-year, $120 million contract. The passer has played in 19 total games with the team, including eight this season while recovering from a right ACL injury. He has yet to record a sack, has two tackles and has a win rate of 23.2%.

Beane stated that “if we feel that Von is not one of the top 48 [players] for a given week or every week,” they would then sit him down, but they are hopeful that he will continue to improve as he is now about a year removed from his surgery.

McDermott did not rule out the possibility that Miller was inactive due to the allegations or his play.

I would start by saying [off-field allegations and football-based decisions] are separated to begin with. And I think it's important that they stay there. But every situation is a little different. »

When asked if the team would cut Miller if he was found guilty, even with significant potential ramifications for the future, Beane responded: “Let's wait and see what happens there from that standpoint, but I think you know us, we'll try to do it right.”