Denver Broncos running back Melvin Gordon entered a plea of not guilty in his DUI case Thursday in a virtual appearance in Denver County Court.
Gordon's next hearing is scheduled for Feb. 24, with a potential jury trial on April 8 if the case is not resolved before then. Gordon, who could still face league discipline in the 2021 season, was arrested Oct. 13 in downtown Denver and charged with DUI; he also was cited for speeding -- between 25 and 39 mph over the legal limit.
Broncos safety Kareem Jackson was suspended for the final two games of the 2019 season after a Dec. 16 court appearance that year on a DUI charge. Jackson entered a plea of "driving while ability impaired," and his suspension was announced by the NFL the next day.
Gordon signed a two-year, $16 million deal with the Broncos during the last offseason. He led the Broncos in carries (215), rushing yards (986) and rushing touchdowns (nine) this past season.
Gordon still faces the potential of league discipline as well as the possibility that newly hired general manager George Paton could move to void $6.5 million worth of guaranteed money for 2021 in Gordon's deal because of the arrest or could move on from Gordon entirely if a three-game suspension is handed down.
As the season drew to a close, Gordon said: "As far as the contract and all that stuff, I let my agent handle all that -- the void and all that stuff. Hopefully I did enough for them to want to keep me here ... So, we'll see; hopefully it works out, and hopefully they like me enough to kind of put all that stuff to the side. I guess in a couple months or so we'll see what's up."
Two weeks after his arrest, Gordon had said: "I am sorry I was even in the situation ... Obviously I try to do my best to walk a straight line and lead by example, things like that. I'm a little upset I even put myself in that situation."
