ENGLEWOOD, Columbia – Denver Broncos, Melvin Gordon’s DUI charges, were dropped Wednesday morning in Denver County Court because Gordon pleaded guilty to lesser charges of speeding and reckless driving.
Gordon had scheduled a trial for April 8, if the case had not been resolved before. The 27-year-old was arrested Oct. 13 in downtown Denver and charged with DUI; he was also cited for speed – between 25 and 39 mph above the legal limit.
He did not perform a Breathalyzer test on the spot.
The Denver prosecutor’s office denied the DUI allegations after Gordon’s legal team raised evidentiary concerns. Gordon, who had pleaded not guilty to the DUI charge in January, had a previous hearing rescheduled for Wednesday after his lawyers cited new information.
Gordon will probably avoid league discipline as well. The NFL previously suspended players who had been accused of reckless driving, including former kicker Aldrick Rosas of the New York Giants, but in that incident, Rojas was also accused of leaving the scene of the accident and driving without a valid license.
In 2018, the then New York Jets wide receiver, Robby Anderson, was not suspended by the NFL after he did not plead any competition for a reckless driving fee.
Gordon signed a two-year, $ 16 million contract with the Broncos out of last season. He led the Broncos in harbors (215), backyards (986) and hurried touchdowns (nine) last season.
Wednesday’s dismissal also had a potential financial impact for Gordon beyond losing his salary due to the league’s suspension. Had Gordon been suspended, Broncos CEO George Paton could have set aside $ 6.5 million in bail for 2021 in Gordon’s agreement due to his arrest.
As the season drew to a close, Gordon said, “As for the contract and all that stuff, I let my agent handle all of that – the goal and all that stuff. Hopefully I’ve done enough for them to want to keep me here … So we’ll see; hopefully it will work and hopefully they like it enough to put all these things aside. I think in a few months we’ll see what happens. “
Two weeks after his arrest, Gordon had said, “I’m sorry I was in the right situation … Obviously, I’m trying my best to go in a straight line and lead things like that. I’m a little upset. I put myself in that situation. “