After working with the legendary Peyton Manning for four years, reigning Super Bowl MVP Von Miller certainly has a ton of really awesome stories to tell.
Considered one of the leaders of the Broncos team during his tenure, Manning once suggested that Miller, along with a few of his teammates, be sent home after they broke curfew back in 2013.
According to Greg Bishop of Sports Illustrated, this is how close Miller got to being kicked out of a Week 16 game against the Houston Texans.
“Miller broke curfew. Coach John Fox found out and screamed at the revelers in a team meeting. Manning, Miller says, suggested that the coach send them home on the next flight. Instead, they stayed and played, and Miller’s right knee buckled as he tried to stutter-step between blockers in the first quarter. He missed the remainder of the season.”
Miller’s 2013 season was a bit rocky. He missed his first six games after violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Though, he returned to tally 11.5 sacks and 64 combined tackles before he sustained the season-ending knee injury in the aforementioned game.
Needless to say, Miller was not able to participate in what would have been his first Super Bowl in February of 2014 — a game that saw the Broncos get annihilated by the Seattle Seahawks by the score of 43-8.
If Manning had gotten his way regarding Miller, the All-Pro linebacker would not have suffered the knee injury. Perhaps, there was a little karma in the air stirring things up for Miller.
Miller has since turned into a highly respected contributor on defense and a role model in the locker room. It’s more than likely that Manning’s veteran presence played a role in this.