Denver Broncos fire Michael Wilhoite after coach charged with assaulting police officer
Denver Broncos fire Michael Wilhoite after coach charged with assaulting police officer
The Denver Broncos fired outside linebackers coach Michael Wilhoite following his arrest for an altercation in the departure area of Denver International Airport.
"After thorough discussions as an organization, I met with Michael Wilhoite and informed him we have decided to part ways," Broncos head coach Sean Payton said in a statement to the Denver Post's Parker Gabriel. "We recognize the serious nature of the allegations against him and believe this is the best course of action at this time.
"I appreciate Michael's contributions to the Broncos and am confident he will move forward in a positive direction."
Per a Denver Police probable cause statement, the alleged altercation happened on Sunday, Feb. 23 when Wilhoite left his 2021 Ford Bronco unattended. When he came back to the vehicle, an officer approached him and told him he couldn't leave the car like that, according to the statement.
Wilhoite told the officer to "shut the (expletive) up," according to the probable cause statement. The officer again told Wilhoite he couldn't leave his vehicle like that and Wilhoite repeated what he said and bumped the officer in the chest.
The officer shoved him in response and Wilhoite reacted by punching the officer, the statement said.
Wilhoite was charged with second-degree assault of a police officer on Feb. 25 and is expected to appear again in court on March 10.
Wilhoite was hired on to the Broncos' staff under Payton in 2023. He spent the 2019 and 2020 seasons on Payton's staff with the New Orleans Saints as a special teams and defensive assistant.
Before reuniting with Payton in Denver, Wilhoite worked as a linebackers coach for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2021 and 2022.
Wilhoite spent six years as a linebacker in the NFL. He played for the San Francisco 49ers from 2012-16 and the Seattle Seahawks in 2017.
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