Well, this isn’t how you want to make the news on Super Bowl week. Broncos practice squad safety Ryan Murphy was involved by San Jose police in a prostitution sting, according to CBS Bay Area. Sources say that police detained a suspected prostitute in Santa Clara County and she told law enforcement that she had to go to a car to retrieve some property. Murphy was inside of that car with his brother. The safety was ultimately released by police but his brother was cited for his involvement.
The Broncos have responded by sending Murphy home to Denver, as Lindsay Jones of USA Today tweets.
Here’s more on the Broncos as they get ready for Sunday:
- A report earlier this week indicated that Peyton Manning told close friends that he is going to retire after Super Bowl 50. However, the quarterback denies that’s the case, as Mike Klis of 9NEWS writes. “I mean, close friends that I’m supposedly telling, I’d like to meet them,” Manning said. “The close friends that I have — and I do have close friends, but I don’t think any of them are close to anybody who works for the NFL Network.”
- After the AFC Championship game, boom mics picked up Manning telling coach Bill Belichick that SB50 could be his “last rodeo.” Manning says that comment isn’t as telling as the media is making it out to be. “I may play against these guys 10 more times. Brady’s going to play till he’s 70, Belichick is going to coach till he’s 90. Maybe I hit the fountain of youth in the next couple of months and play another 10 years. Who knows? But in case it was the last time I played against them in the championship,’’ Manning said, (emphasis ours, via Klis).
- Manning sat down with CBS’ Bill Cowher (Twitter link) to address the allegations of HGH use made against him late last year. In the clip, Manning says that he “welcomes” the NFL’s investigation and termed the allegations as being “complete junk.”
- Defensive end Malik Jackson sounds like a player who knows that Sunday is his last game with the team (Twitter link via Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post). “I can make myself a lot more money if I go out there and do what I know how to do and do what I’ve been doing,“
With the Broncos already signing Derek Wolfe to a $9MM+ AAV deal, Jackson looks set to hit the market. Although Wolfe’s had the slightly better season, Jackson’s been more consistent. His versatility will make him an eight-figures-per-season candidate once in free agency after having played 4-3 end, 3-4 end and 4-3 3-technique. Denver having Von Miller and Brock Osweiler as higher priorities that will tie up their cap even after Peyton Manning’s salary comes off their books will be too much to retain Jackson. But even without Jackson and probably departing ILB Danny Trevathan, the Broncos will have nine of their 11 defensive starters under contract in ’16.