ENGLEWOOD, Colorado – Denver Broncos running back Melvin Gordon’s DUI charges were dismissed Wednesday morning in Denver County Court when Gordon pleaded guilty to minor charges of speeding and reckless driving.
Gordon had a jury trial scheduled for April 8, if the case had not been resolved before that. The 27-year-old was arrested on October 13 in downtown Denver and charged with DUI; he was also quoted for speeding – between 25 and 39 mph above the legal limit.
He did not test the breathalyzer on the spot.
The Denver district attorney’s office dismissed DUI’s charges after Gordon’s legal team raised questions of evidence. Gordon, who pleaded not guilty to the DUI charge in January, had a previous hearing rescheduled for Wednesday after his lawyers cited new information.
Gordon is also likely to avoid league discipline. The NFL has already suspended players who were accused of reckless driving, including former New York Giants kicker Aldrick Rosas last season, but in that incident Rojas was also accused of leaving the scene of an accident and driving without a valid license.
In 2018, the then wide receiver of the New York Jets, Robby Anderson, was not suspended by the NFL after failing to contest a charge of reckless driving.
Gordon signed a two-year, $ 16 million contract with the Broncos in the last off-season. He led the Broncos in shipments (215), run yards (986) and run touchdowns (nine) last season.
Wednesday’s resignation also had a potential financial impact for Gordon, in addition to the loss of salary due to a suspension of the league. If Gordon had been suspended, Broncos general manager George Paton could have set aside $ 6.5 million in guaranteed money for 2021 in Gordon’s business because of his arrest.
When the season came to an end, Gordon said, “As far as the contract and all that stuff is concerned, I let my agent take care of all that – the void and all that stuff. I hope I did enough to make them want to keep me here. … So we’ll see; I hope it works, and I hope they like me enough to put all these things aside. I think in a few months or so we’ll see what’s going on. “
Two weeks after his arrest, Gordon said, “I’m sorry to have been in this situation … Obviously, I try to do my best to walk in a straight line and set an example, things like that. I’m a little upset. I even put myself in that situation. “