Bills’ Von Miller says he believes domestic assault case to be closed, with no charges filed
Buffalo Bills linebacker Von Miller (40) signs autographs after an NFL football training camp practice in Pittsford, N.Y., Wednesday, July 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) — No charges have been filed, and Von Miller said Thursday that he considers the case of him allegedly assaulting his pregnant girlfriend as being closed based on feedback the Buffalo Bills edge rusher got from his legal representatives.
“No charges were ever filed and the case is closed. I’m able to just move forward and focus solely on football,” Miller told reporters following the Bills’ second day of training camp in suburban Rochester, New York.
“My life is all about football right now and my kids, and being the best teammate and best football player I can possibly be,” he added. “I’m happy to be here with the Buffalo Bills. I’m happy to just be in this moment, living my life and do the things that we do normally.”
Miller’s agent Joby Branion repeated his client’s comments in saying the “case is closed” in a text to The Associated Press.
A message left with the Dallas district attorney’s office seeking an update on the matter was not immediately returned. The NFL, which was conducting its own investigation, also did not immediately reply to a request seeking comment.
The then-34-year-old Miller turned himself in to police in suburban Dallas on Nov. 30 after being accused by police 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 free after posting a $5,000 bond. The woman and Miller have been in a relationship for seven years and have two other children together.
In his first comments about the matter made a month later, Miller disputed the allegations by calling them 100 percent false and being “blown out of proportion.” Miller indicated something happened between him and his girlfriend, but stressed it did not approach what he is alleged to have done.
“Whatever happened, I hate that it happened. I hate my name is attached to anything like that, and it’s just a matter of time until I can clear it up,” Miller said at the time. “Me and my girlfriend, we have problems just like any other couple does, but there has never been any of those things that was alleged against me.”
According to a police affidavit regarding the alleged assault on Nov. 29, 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, officers wrote.
Police wrote that Miller became “visibly angry” when the woman went into an office in their shared apartment and slammed the door behind her.
Miller then told her to “get out,” police wrote, and when she tried to collect her laptop and cellphone, Miller began pushing her. She repeatedly yelled, “Stop. I’m pregnant,” the affidavit said. She fell into a chair after being pushed, and Miller then put one hand on her neck and held it with pressure for three to five seconds, police wrote.
According to the document, Miller then threw the woman’s laptop on the floor and stomped on it. She told police she recorded some of the attack and, when she threatened to call police, he left.
The alleged incident happened during the Bills’ bye week. Upon returning to Buffalo, Miller said he provided his version of what happened in a meeting that included team owner Terry Pegula, general manager Brandon Beane and coach Sean McDermott, and with the Dallas DA’s office listening in by phone.
The Bills followed the NFL’s lead in allowing Miller to continue playing because no charges had been filed.
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