The Dog Days Police Blotter of the Denver Broncos
“To be clear, I am not saying that every member of the NFL is a thug and out there rabble rousing, however the bulk of arrests and issues with the law that seem to happen within the league occur over the course of the summer.”
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As a kid, there is absolutely nothing like summer. It means three months off from school, playing outside until the street lights come on and endless treats like ice cream and slushees. It can also signify a certain amount of freedom not found during the school year along with a lack of structure and rules.
We were free to ride our bikes around the neighborhood, play in the sprinklers and have fun with our friends. As children get older, the innocence of summer can sometimes bring boredom. With age comes curiosity and kids can tend to look for some trouble to get into during their downtime.
Fast forward about 15 years, add a ridiculous amount of cash and you have the NFL. These athletes train so hard during the season and are forced to submit to many rules and regulations most of us don’t. By the time the offseason rolls around they are so physically and mentally exhausted that they take some time off to just plain chill.
However, once these guys are rested and refreshed, that freedom is extremely enticing and some of these athletes seem to get called to the dark side. To be clear, I am not saying that every member of the NFL is a thug and out there rabble rousing, however the bulk of arrests and issues with the law that seem to happen within the league occur over the course of the summer.
For this purpose of this article, I will focus solely on our beloved Denver Broncos. So what does it take to make this list? It will not include minor offenses like speeding tickets or traffic accidents. We’re focusing on the good stuff: domestic abuse, weapons charges and maybe a little assault and battery.
Here’s a look at some of the Bronco arrests over the past decade or so that took place during the lazy, hazy, dog days of summer.
Sam Brandon – This former Denver safety’s record could support its own article on the subject of arrest. Brandon was apprehended on three separate occasions during the summer months between 2004 and 2006. The first two incidents involved domestic violence and criminal mischief. He was also charged for child abuse during that first arrest in June of 2004. The third bust stemmed from a violation of a prior restraining order.
Brandon received a suspension from the league for the first two games of the 2007 season as a result of those incidents. Subsequently, he was released by the Broncos on July 26, 2007 before he was even able to serve that suspension.
Karl Paymah – In a true Darwin award moment, Paymah was arrested in late May of 2006. Officers found the former Bronco cornerback unconscious in his SUV with the vehicle running and in gear. Me thinks he had a bit too much to drink. He was convicted of DUI and careless driving on July 16, 2008.
Paymah was actually not disciplined by the league and due to poor production, did not return to the Broncos after the 2008 season. He went on to have short stints with the Vikings, 49ers and Texans.
David Kircus – Apparently testosterone flows more freely in the offseason as well. On May 20, 2007, Denver wideout Kircus got into a physical altercation at a party. The other guy in the fight was hospitalized with broken bones in his face after being repeatedly pounded in the face by Kircus.
Mike Shanahan kept him around for training camp that next season but he was unable to emerge out of a crowded receiver corps and was eventually let go.
Matt Prater – The only current member of the Broncos on this list, place kicker Prater was booked on suspicion of DUI in August of 2011. He was also charged with leaving the scene of an accident after his Chevy Trailblazer backed into an unoccupied vehicle.
A plain old DUI isn’t that exciting so to make it interesting, Prater had picked up a stripper at Shotgun Willie’s earlier in the evening. They were heading to get a room at a La Quinta in Greenwood Village where the accident happened. When he was hauled away in the police car, he left the stripper in the lobby to fend for herself.
Hopefully she made a decent haul that night in tips so she could at least get a cab ride home.
Elvis Dumervil – In July, 2012 Dumervil was arrested for felony aggravated assault with a firearm after a widely publicized altercation on South Beach in Miami, Florida. Road rage was deemed the cause of the incident after Dumervil’s car was cut off by another driver.
The charges were eventually dropped however, when police discovered that neither Dumervil or his buddy were actually carrying a weapon. There was a firearm in the glove compartment but it was not registered to Dumervil.
Because the charges did not stick, Dumervil escaped the iron fist of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and did not receive any sort of punishment.
So far this offseason has been a quiet one in the law department for the Denver Broncos. One would think with so much on the line, these guys would be on their best behavior anyways. I know if I stood to make the money that these athletes do, I probably wouldn’t even leave my house until retirement.
Just ask Aaron Hernandez how it feels to piss away millions of dollars for doing something incredibly stupid.
Oh wait, we can’t, he’s currently in the slammer for allegedly murdering his buddy. Or something like that.
