It can be hard to see professional athletes as real people. They don’t live like us real people. They don’t earn like us real people. And they certainly aren’t anonymous like us real people.
But it’s important for us to remember that they do feel like us real people.
Athletes are just as human as the rest of us, and though they may go home to a bigger house in a flashier car, they go to bed at night with many of the same concerns we all face each and every day. And so while fans may look at Von Miller and ask why he’s being “so greedy,” he’s asking, “Why am I not being respected?”
“It just hurts,” Miller told SI’s Greg Bishop. “I’m not even going to lie. It’s a business but at the end of the day, I got feelings, too. I know some fans don’t know that some of the reports aren’t even true. When I get on Instagram, no matter what I post, there’s going to be 400 comments. Guys bashing me. Take the deal. You greedy bastard. I thought you wanted to be a Bronco for life? And it kind of weighs on you after a while.”
The truth is that Von Miller wants to be a Bronco — bad. As he told Chelsea Handler, he doesn’t want to leave his friends and teammates, whom he’s been through so much with. When all is said and done, he wants to retire in the orange and blue, as the greatest defender in franchise history.
But the Broncos have refused to say the same. They’ve told him that they’re not willing to commit long term, only guaranteeing his contract through two seasons.
Von explained to Bishop that he was hoping to feel courted by the Broncos this offseason, much like Texas A&M did when he was choosing which college to attend. For Von, it’s more important that he feels wanted than anything else.
“You know you got that girlfriend that’s really not like that attractive but she’s like really good for you, and she’s going to do everything she can to keep you?” Miller said. “Instead of that really, really hot chick that just talks to you on Mondays. It was like that, above and beyond. That’s the same type of feeling I’m looking for from the Broncos.”
And so yes, as Miller’s father, Von Sr., says, there is a chance of a holdout, even if it’s the last thing they want to do.
“It’s got to be there,” Von Sr. says. “It’s got to be a part of the play. It’s got to be part of the process. Do we want to go down that road? I would say not. We definitely don’t. I don’t want him to go down that road.”
And it’s hard to blame Miller. He’s given his all to this franchise, he’s put his life back on track, and he’s only getting better. The ball is now in Elway’s court; show faith in Von, and the Broncos will reap the benefits.
