ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – Denver Broncos facing Melvin Gordon’s DUI charges were dismissed Wednesday morning in Denver County Court, as Gordon pleaded guilty to lesser charges of excessive speeding and reckless driving.
Gordon had scheduled a jury trial for April 8 if the case had not been resolved earlier. The 27-year-old was arrested in downtown Denver on October 13 and charged with DUI; he was also cited for speeding – between 25 and 39 mph above the legal limit.
He did not take a breathalyzer on site.
The Denver district attorney’s office dismissed the DUI charges after Gordon’s legal team raised concerns. Gordon, who pleaded not guilty to the DUI charge in January, had moved an earlier hearing to Wednesday after his lawyers cited new information.
Gordon is also likely to avoid competitive discipline. The NFL has previously suspended players accused of reckless driving, including former New York Giants kicker Aldrick Rosas last season, but that incident also charged Rojas with leaving the scene of an accident and driving without a valid driver’s license.
In 2018, then-New York Jets-wide receiver Robby Anderson was not suspended by the NFL after calling for a reckless driving charge.
Gordon signed a two-year $ 16 million deal with the Broncos last off-season. He led the Broncos in carry (215), rush yards (986) and rush touchdowns (nine) last season.
Wednesday’s resignation also had potential financial consequences for Gordon in addition to the loss of salary due to a suspension from the league. Had Gordon been suspended, Broncos CEO George Paton could have decided to invalidate $ 6.5 million in 2021 guaranteed money in Gordon’s deal over the arrest.
As the season drew to a close, Gordon said, “As for the contract and all that stuff, I’ll let my agent handle all of that – the emptiness and all that stuff. Hopefully I’ve done enough to make them want to keep me here. So, we’ll see, hopefully it works, and hopefully they like me enough to put all that stuff aside. I think we’ll see what’s going on in a few months.
Two weeks after his arrest, Gordon had said, “I’m sorry I was even in the situation … Obviously, I’m trying my best to walk in a straight line and lead by example, things like that. I I’m a little upset. I even put myself in that situation. “