NFL star Von Miller has COVID-19, is in good spirits

AURORA, Colorado—Von Miller has the coronavirus and the NFL star wanted to come forward with his diagnosis to show people how serious the disease is.

“I’m going to do whatever I have to do to get thru this!” Miller wrote in an Instagram post Thursday night. “Take this seriously. It’s definitely FOR REAL.”


The Super Bowl MVP is the highest-profile American athlete to announce he’s contracted COVID-19. Last month, NBA star Kevin Durant was among several members of the Brooklyn Nets to test positive..

“Von wants to let everyone out there know it’s serious; it doesn’t just happen to old people in nursing homes,” agent Joby Branion told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Miller told KUSA-TV in Denver that he developed a cough a couple of days ago and when his nebulizer for his asthma didn’t clear things up, he decided to get tested for the coronavirus and the test came back positive Thursday.

“I’m in good spirits,” Miller told the TV station. “I’m not feeling sick or hurting or anything like that.”

The Broncos released a statement, saying Miller “elected to share his diagnosis publicly to emphasize that anyone can be afflicted with coronavirus.”

“Von is doing well and recovering at home in self-isolation. He remains under the care of team doctors, who are following all coronavirus treatment procedures to ensure a safe environment for Von and our community,” the team added.

Branion said that aside from his allergy to grass, the 31-year-old Miller is the picture of health.

“Von lives to take care of his health and his body and it hit him, too,” Branion said. “Hopefully, he’s like the 85 percent who kick this disease in the teeth in two weeks. But the bottom line is he got it, too.”

Brandion said Miller is in good spirits while quarantined at his home in the Denver area and that the Broncos linebacker plans to speak publicly about his diagnosis on Friday.


Branion said Miller went for a test after he began coughing a couple of days ago and consulted with the Broncos medical team.

“I’ve seen him a lot sicker after games. He’s allergic to grass and after he’s been inundated with pollen, he’s sounded worse,” Branion said.

Miller, who was recently a unanimous pick to the NFL’s All-Decade team of the 2010s, said on a conference call last week he trained in San Francisco before returning home to Colorado when the stay-at-home measures went into effect to contain the virus.

Branion said Miller isn’t sure how he became infected.

“He’s been home for a month. Now, is he in lock-down, lock-down? No, but he’s been sort of staying home,” Branion said. “What happened? We don’t know.

“But it can get you. It got him, and he’s Superman!”

Miller is the second active NFL player to acknowledge testing positive during the coronavirus pandemic that has sickened more than 2 million people worldwide, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and sending millions into unemployment.

On Wednesday, Los Angeles Rams center Brian Allen said he tested positive for COVID-19 three weeks ago. New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton revealed last month that he tested positive for the virus. The Los Angeles Chargers last week revealed a positive test and symptoms for unidentified members of their organization.

And in Denver, three unidentified Colorado Avalanche players have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Associated Press

Super Bowl winner Kubiak steps down as Broncos coach

An emotional Gary Kubiak stepped down as coach of the Denver Broncos on Monday because of health concerns, less than a year after he led the team to a Super Bowl crown.

The 55-year-old fought back tears as he told reporters he was “retiring from coaching” at a farewell press conference in Denver, hours after the club confirmed his departure in a statement.

“This decision is strictly my decision, based on what I’ve been through this year and how I’m feeling,” Kubiak said.

“I just feel like it’s time for me to do something different. Now, I’m retiring from coaching, I’m getting out of coaching, but I’ve got a lot to give and I’m going to find something else to do… but it’s time for me to step away from the coaching field.”

Kubiak said it wasn’t a specific medical problem that prompted his decision but rather a feeling that he couldn’t meet the demands of the job as he would like.

“I’ve always taken a lot of pride that I could coach the football team, be there for the players, be there for the coaches, be there for the organization, do a game plan, call some plays on Sunday.

“I’ve always taken a lot of pride in the fact I could do all those things, but this year I haven’t been able to do that.

“It’s been tough and for the first time I’ve had to tell myself, ‘Hey, you can’t do that anymore.'”

Kubiak was hospitalized briefly in October and missed coaching one game with what doctors called a “complex migraine condition” characterized by extreme fatigue and weakness.

In 2013 while Kubiak was head coach of the Houston Texans he collapsed during a game with what was diagnosed as a “mini stroke.”

Kubiak had told players and staff after Sunday’s season-ending 24-6 victory over the playoff-bound Oakland Raiders that he was giving up the job after two years with the team.

“Although we fell short of our goals this year, I’m proud of our teams these past two seasons. Helping to bring Mr. (Pat) Bowlen, his family and this organization its third Super Bowl is something that will always be very special to me,” Kubiak said in a statement.

Super Bowl triumph

John Elway, a former Broncos star quarterback and now executive vice president of football operations/general manager, was expected to begin searching for a replacement immediately.

Elway hired Kubiak — his backup in their playing days — as the 15th head coach in franchise history on January 19, 2015 and Kubiak helped the Broncos to the second-most wins in the NFL in his two seasons with a 24-11 (.686) record.

During the 2015 season Kubiak became only the fourth head coach in NFL history to lead a team to a Super Bowl victory in his first year, the Broncos beating the Carolina Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50 in February 2016.

Elway called Kubiak’s management of the team over that season “one of the best coaching jobs I’ve ever seen.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Peyton Manning mentioned in lawsuit filed against Tennessee

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is mentioned in the lawsuit a group of women filed against the University of Tennessee last week in which they said the school violated Title IX regulations in the way it has handled reports of sexual assaults by student-athletes.

The lawsuit was filed by six unidentified women and focuses on five cases that were reported between 2013 and 2015, but it also references incidents involving Tennessee student-athletes dating to 1995. One paragraph in the 64-page document includes a sexual harassment complaint made by a Tennessee trainer in 1996 involving an incident that occurred in a training room while she was treating Manning.

The trainer, Jamie Ann Naughright, settled in 1997, but sued Manning for defamation in 2002 after he discussed the incident in a book. The lawsuit was settled in 2003.

Manning played for Tennessee from 1994-97.

Naughright’s sexual harassment claim involved a 1996 incident in which Manning exposed his buttocks as Naughright, then known as Jamie Whited, bent over to examine his foot in a training room. Manning said at the time it was a prank intended for another athlete. The Title IX lawsuit says Manning had “sat on her face” while she was assessing the extent of an injury.

The New York Daily News released a 74-page document Saturday that Naughright’s lawyers had filed on her behalf in 2003 while the defamation suit was still in litigation.

The federal lawsuit filed Tuesday says Tennessee created a “hostile sexual environment” through a policy of indifference toward assaults by student-athletes. The plaintiffs say Tennessee’s policies made students more vulnerable to sexual assault and that the school had a “clearly unreasonable response” after incidents that caused the women making complaints to endure additional harassment. The suit also states the university interfered with the disciplinary process to favor male athletes.

Bill Ramsey, a lawyer representing the school, said in a statement the university “acted lawfully and in good faith” in the situations outlined in the complaint.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Jordan Norwood sets Super Bowl record

It didn’t take long for Denver Broncos wide receiver Jordan Norwood to have his Super Bowl moment.

Norwood, younger brother of Philippine national basketball team member Gabe, set a Super Bowl record with a 61-yard punt return in the Broncos’ 24-10 win over the Carolina Panthers on Monday (Manila time).

As per Eric Edholm of Yahoo Sports’ Shutdown Corner, no one has returned a punt longer than 45 yards in the first 49 Super Bowls.

“On his first return attempt of the game, Norwood caught Brad Nortman‘s punt at his own 25-yard line in traffic, and the Carolina Panthers stood around after as if he had called for a fair catch. Norwood didn’t, and he sidestepped two Panthers — Colin Jones and Teddy Williams — and turned up the right side of the field, sprung by a nice block from teammate Lerentee McCray on tight end Ed Dickson,” Edholm wrote, describing Norwood’s play in the second quarter.

The punt return led to a field goal by Brandon McManus and a 13-7 lead for the Broncos, who went on to win the franchise’s third Super Bowl.

What makes Norwood’s moment more special is that his brother Gabe was there at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California to witness it all.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Broncos seal playoff berth with OT win over Bengals

DENVER — Denver clinched a place in the NFL playoffs with a 20-17 overtime win against Cincinnati on Monday, with DeMarcus Ware beating Bengals quarterback A.J. McCarron to a fumbled snap to seal the victory.

The Broncos (11-4) overcame a 14-0 first-half deficit and clinched a fifth consecutive playoff berth, while Cincinnati (11-4) blew a chance to earn a bye in the playoffs.

Denver can earn the top seed in the AFC with a win over San Diego and a loss by New England at Miami in next weekend’s finale of the regular season.

Denver was in danger of becoming the first team since the 1970 football merger to miss the playoffs after starting a season 10-2.

Broncos fans would have feared the worst after kicker Brandon McManus shanked a 45-yard field goal attempt at the end of regulation time, sending the game to overtime.

Denver won the toss and elected to receive in overtime. They drove 60 yards in 13 plays, led by quarterback Brock Osweiler, who was making his sixth straight start in place of the injured Peyton Manning.

McManus then redeemed himself by splitting the uprights from 37 yards out 5 minutes into the extra period.

Cincinnati had a chance to respond, but on second-and-10 from the Bengals 33-yard line, center Russell Bodine’s shotgun snap sailed past McCarron and Ware beat him to the loose football.

source: sports.inquirer.net

NFL: Three Denver Broncos players banned

NEW YORK — Denver Broncos players, linebacker D.J. Williams, defensive tackle Ryan McBean and tight end Virgil Green, have been suspended for violating the NFL's anti-doping policy, the league said Friday.

McBean and Williams have been suspended without pay for the first six games of the 2012 regular season while Green will miss the team's first four matches, also without pay.

Williams issued a statement denying wrongdoing.

"I understand from media reports today that the NFL has announced a suspension based on a specimen that the NFL acknowledges did not contain steroids or any illegal substance," Williams said in a statement.

"Instead, the NFL contends that I provided a non-human specimen. I have never failed a test of any kind—for steroids or illegal substances—during my eight-year pro career.

"We proved—conclusively—at the NFL hearing on this matter that the NFL and its specimen collector wholly failed in their duties to safeguard and process my specimen properly... We will be vigorously pursuing my rights in the judicial system."

The Broncos said they were aware of the situation, but could not comment because of the league's confidentiality rules.

The league did not give details on the alleged violations when announcing the suspensions. — AFP

source: gmanetwork.com