Why did 49ers cut Bruce Miller? Ex-NFL fullback's long history of alleged violence
Bruce Miller is once again making the news for the wrong reasons.
On Thursday, the former San Francisco 49ers fullback shocked the American populace by sending this message to Eric Swalwell, a Representative for the 14th district of California, threatening either execution or banishment to Guantanamo on him:
Who is this guy threatening to execute me? And how does he have so many followers? https://t.co/M2E2x9l3dR
Swalwell has since reported the message to Capitol police, who will now be on Miller's trail. But this will not be the first time that the former player's violent tendencies have overcome him.
Bruce Miller's 49ers career was cut short after off-field issues
After four years at the University of Central Florida, where he won consecutive Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year awards as a junior and senior, Bruce Miller was drafted 211th overall by the San Francisco 49ers.
Since the team had a bevy of productive defenders like defensive linemen Justin Smith and Aldon Smith and linebackers Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman. Miller was shifted to the offense, where he played fullback.
He saw minimal running time in his new position, but beginning from his third year, he established himself as a decent pass catcher. In 2013, he had his best season yet, catching 25 passes for 243 yards and 12 first downs, despite no touchdowns.
The 49ers rewarded him with a contract extension the following year, and he repaid their faith in him with two touchdowns and 11 first downs.
2015 proved a down year for Miller, as he was implicated in a domestic violence case. To avoid a prison sentence and suspension, he eventually pled no contest to disturbing the peace, making it a misdemeanor.
For 2016, Miller was supposed to move to tight end after the departure of Vernon Davis. However, he was cut after police arrested him for allegedly assaulting a 70-year-old man and his 29-year-old son at a Marriott in the Fisherman's Wharf area.
The charges were eventually dropped. The video below is of him stumbling to a nearby Travelodge, blood gushing from his forehead, shortly after the incident:
Bruce Miller career earnings: How much did ex-NFL fullback make?
Over his five years with the 49ers, Bruce Miller made $5,228,450 in on-field earning, per Over the Cap. His rookie contract with the 49ers amounted to $2.1 million.
His extension, which he signed on the supposed final season of his rookie contract, was the most lucrative of his career, at $5.4 million over three years, with almost $2.431 million of it guaranteed. However, as mentioned before, he was released after the assault incident.
In 2020, Miller joined the Jacksonville Jaguars after four years away on a one-year contract worth close to $1 million, but he was soon released. He later resigned with the practice squad, but was suspended the same day for six games for violating the league's PED policy. After the suspension ended, he played just one more game and has not seen the field since.