With Bills pass rusher Von Miller facing a felony charge of assaulting his pregnant girlfriend, Miller becomes a prime candidate for paid leave.
The NFL is not yet prepared to comment on that possibility.
“We are aware of the matter and have been in contact with the club,” the league said in a statement. “We have no further comment at this time.”
The league might have a comment soon. The Bills are off this week. By the time they face the Bills in Week 14, Miller could be placed on the Commissioner-Exempt list.
Although every person accused of criminal wrongdoing is regarded as innocent until proven guilty, the NFL is willing to ignore that principle when taking players out of action pending the resolution of formal charges — when those charges reach a certain level and/or involve specifically heinous allegations.
The leagues doesn’t regard it as punishment, since the player is paid. The player who is prevented from playing surely feels otherwise.
But that doesn’t matter. The NFL has the power to put players on paid leave, and Miller instantly becomes a prime candidate for that, given the nature of the allegations he’s facing, and regardless of whether he’s eventually exonerated.