Police recently arrested San Francisco 49ers fullback Bruce Miller on spousal battery charges in Santa Clara, California, marking the latest legal activity against several NFL players.
The arrest occurred on Thursday, but didn’t surface in the news until this week.
“The San Francisco 49ers organization is aware of the matter involving Bruce Miller,” the team said in a release, as reported by The Associated Press. “We were disappointed to learn of these reports and will do our due diligence in collecting all relevant information.”
RELATED: Why the NFL is too big too fail
Miller, 28, received a three-year contract extension last March. In the fall, he bought a house and was newly engaged, according to The Press Democrat.
The Santa Clara County District Attorney will decide whether or not to prosecute Miller on the spousal-abuse charges.
The NFL continues to reel from the fallout of recent domestic abuse scandals. Former Baltimore Ravens star Ray Rice was suspended indefinitely last September for knocking his future wife unconscious in a New Jersey hotel elevator earlier in 2014. And embattled Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was suspended without pay when reports surfaced in September that he allegedly beat his 4-year-old son with a tree branch.
Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer recently pleaded with Peterson to rejoin the team in September. Since the charges, Peterson has been vocal about his strained relationship with team officials.
Michele Richinick