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Bruce Miller Released By 49ers After Arrest

By Robert Jonathan
Published on: 11:13 PST, Sep 5, 2016

Bruce Miller is no longer a member of the NFL San Francisco 49ers as of today.

The team released Miller this afternoon following his early morning arrest on multiple charges in an alleged incident at a local hotel. In a statement prior to announcing his release, the team initially indicated that it was gathering facts and monitoring the situation.

The 49ers drafted Miller as a fullback in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL Draft out of the University of Central Florida where he played defensive end.

A prior Inquisitr report noted that the 49ers planned to deploy Miller at both the tight end and wide receiver positions under new head coach Chip Kelly who doesn’t use a fullback in his offensive game alignment.

According to ESPN, the alleged violent incident the led to Bruce Miller being cut by the 49ers occurred early this morning at the Marriott Hotel.

“The police said they were called to the Marriott on Fisherman’s Wharf at approximately 2:45 a.m. after Miller tried to enter a hotel room occupied by an elderly couple. The couple’s 29-year-old son, staying in the next room, then told Miller he was at the wrong room. Miller, who was intoxicated at the time, attacked the son and his 70-year-old father, who came to his son’s defense, police said. The father was punched by Miller and both men were taken to the hospital for their injuries, police said.”

Fox San Francisco Bay affiliate KTVU TV, which broke the story, detailed that Miller reportedly tried to check in to the hotel Sunday night but the desk clerk told him the facility was booked solid. He apparently returned early the next morning and knocked on a guest’s door that prompted the encounter described above.

“A hotel worker says he called 911 after he saw Miller bleeding and vomiting as he ran from the hotel. Miller was arrested a short time later.”

TMZ Sports reported that Miller bonded out today at about 2:30 p.m. local time. Bail was set at $178,000.

Miller is reportedly charged with assault with a deadly weapon (not a firearm), making criminal threats, battery, and elder abuse.

“It’s not the first time the 29-year-old has been in trouble with the law. He plead no contest last year to disturbing the peace after a March 2015 argument with his former fiancee. Miller was ordered to attend a domestic violence counseling course,” ABC News San Francisco explained.

Bruce Miller “was a key part of San Francisco’s teams that went to three straight NFC title games and one Super Bowl in his first three years. In 77 games over five seasons, has 62 yards rushing on 28 carries, adding 76 catches for 734 yards,” ESPN added.

The charges listed above are unproven, and professional athletes generally (but not always) get a lot of slack for off-field incidents, but The Comeback website wonders if the assault allegations could signal the conclusion of Bruce Miller’s professional football career.

“The latest incident might be the end of Miller’s career. How many teams would want to take a chance on someone who spontaneously beat up a senior citizen? The attack wasn’t premeditated. This is the NFL, so stranger things have happened — but, Miller might have stamped his ticket out of the league.”

Depending on how the legal case resolves itself, Miller presumably would also face disciplinary action from the office of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell should the player want to pursue a gig with another team in the league.

The 49ers open the regular season next Monday evening at home against the Los Angeles Rams at Levi’s Stadium.

Apart from the Bruce Miller arrest and his subsequent release by the the San Francisco 49ers, the team is currently engulfed in a high-visibility controversy over quarterback Colin Kaepernick and the National Anthem protest.

[Photo by Duane Burleson/AP Images]

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