Von Miller Attends Broncos' Ring Ceremony
DENVER (The Sports Xchange) - Denver Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller, upset over his contract negotiations, still attended the team's ring ceremony on Sunday night.
Miller participated in the event at which the Broncos players, coaches, personnel staff and other football support staff received their rings for the Super Bowl 50 victory.
The ceremony at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver was not open to the public.
In a team press release, Miller said of the championship ring, "I see a lot of stuff. I see my teammates. I see the struggle to get here. Eleven games won within seven points or less. Guys getting injured and guys stepping up. Guys writing us off and all the pregame speeches. Sitting on the sideline, wanting to get back in and make a play.
"I see the organization on here. The organization has done so much for all of us to put us in this position. It's a culmination of a lot of things. It's something that I'll keep with me for the rest of my life. ...
"Every diamond is like one of my teammates or one of the guys in the organization from the cooks to the turf guys. It's a beautiful ring. It took everyone to get this."
The Broncos designated Miller with the franchise tag earlier this year. The two sides are not negotiating at this time after the team offered a six-year, $114.5 million deal to the Super Bowl MVP that includes $39.8 million guaranteed over the first two years.
Miller reportedly wants more than $70 million in the first three years of his contract. The two sides have until July 15 to hammer out a multiyear deal.
Without an agreement, Miller would be left to play the 2016 season under a $14.129 million franchise tag. As an exclusive rights free agent, he is not eligible to receive offers or negotiate with other teams.
After the Broncos visited the White House last Monday to celebrate their Super Bowl 50 victory with President Barack Obama, Miller stood for a picture with coach Gary Kubiak, linebacker DeMarcus Ware, retired quarterback Peyton Manning and John Elway, the team's executive vice president/general manager.
The group photo originally appeared on Ware's Instagram page and Miller later shared the image on social media with a noticeable difference: Elway was cropped out of the photo -- likely sending a message to the team.
Sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter that Miller was intentional in his decision to crop out Elway's image. Elway was on the far right in the original photo taken at the White House.
Miller said during a White House visit that there was "real progress" in the negotiations. He has not participated in the Broncos' offseason program.
"I just felt complete, felt back at home, felt normal for the first time in the last couple of months," Miller told ESPN during the Broncos' visit to the White House. "This is where I'm myself, when I'm with my teammates, with my boys. It's a special day for me and I look forward to having more special days."
Miller, 27, finished the 2015 regular season with 11 sacks and helped led the Broncos to the Super Bowl 50 championship by wreaking havoc on defense. He added five sacks and two forced fumbles in the postseason.
Former Denver quarterback Brock Osweiler, now with the Houston Texans, told the Broncos he would not attend the ring ceremony because of hard feelings over the recent negotiations for Miller, according to ESPN.
