A former NFL player, who was on the rosters of the 49ers and Jaguars, allegedly sent a Twitter DM threatening a member of Congress.
Raj Mathai with NBC-Bay Area confirmed that a message was sent to Congressman Eric Swalwell. Mathai said that Swalwell notified Capitol Police of the message.
Mathai shared on Twitter: “Swalwell tells me: “My family and staff are deeply disturbed by the threat of execution…apparently by former 49er Bruce Miller. Threats of political violence are unacceptable.”
Swalwell also posted his thoughts about the DM that an ex-NFL player allegedly sent him.
“Who is this guy threatening to execute me? And how does he have so many followers?”
Former 49ers fullback Bruce Miller is the owner of the Twitter account, which has 54,000-plus followers. However, by late Wednesday, the account was set to private and only preapproved followers could view Miller’s tweets. Swalwell snapped a screenshot of the message and included it in his tweet. The message said “Almost time!!! Would you rather Guantanamo or just execution f—in traitor.”
Swalwell represents parts of the San Francisco Bay area. He’s a frequent target of far right-wing media types.
Miller stayed out of NFL for 4 years after 49ers cut him because of assault charges
So how did an NFL player become involved? We’re not sure. But we do know that Miller’s career with the 49ers ended badly in 2016. In early September of that year. Miller tried to check into a Marriott at Fisherman’s Wharf. But a clerk told him there were no rooms available. He allegedly went upstairs and knocked on the door of a room. A 70-year-old man opened the door. Witnesses said Miller started a fight with the man and his son, who was in the room next door. Photos showed that Miller also got bloodied in the fight. The older man suffered cuts and broken bones.
The 49ers cut Miller as soon as news broke about the fight. The charges later were dropped. The year before, he pleaded no contest to disturbing the peace. That was in connection to an incident in which his girlfriend said that he pushed her and destroyed her cell phone during an argument. The SF Gate reported that prosecutors charged Miller with the misdemeanor vandalism charge after their investigation of the assault was inconclusive.
The 49ers selected Miller in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL draft. He was a star defensive end at Central Florida and earned Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year. But he switched to fullback for the NFL. After the 49ers waived him, Miller spent four seasons away from the NFL. The Jaguars signed him in 2020. But he was suspended for six games for violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
