The Broncos may need to sign John Abraham, after all.
With sack specialist Elvis Dumervil already gone for Baltimore, sack specialist Von Miller may not be available for the Broncos, for at least the first four games of the 2013 season.
According to ESPN, Miller currently is facing a four-game suspension for violating league policy. The suspension currently is under appeal.
If it’s the PED policy, it means Miller had one violation. If it’s the substance-abuse policy, it means he’s had multiple violations.
Either way, it means that someone has been blabbing, in direct violation of the NFL’s requirement that unresolved suspensions remain strictly confidential.
It happened last year to Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, who now carries in some minds the stigma of cheater, even though he won his appeal and avoided a suspension. And it now will happen to Miller, even if he prevails.
That said, it’s still not clear whether Miller allegedly violated the policy regarding performance-enhancing substances, or whether he violated multiple times the policy regarding recreational drugs -- one of which is now legal to use in the state where the Broncos play their home games.
The appeal could be resolved before the start of the regular season, or it could linger. Much of it depends on the complexity of the case, which possibly includes a defense based on Miller claiming his result was skewed by breathing chicken-coop fumes.