Report: No arrest warrant for Von Miller's $240 ticket

Last night the twitter and blog universes collectively overreacted to news that there was a bench warrant for Von Miller's arrest in California. It turns out that might not even have been the case.

"This is a $240 speeding ticket for driving 10 mph over the speed limit," Von Miller’s Attorney Mark Schamel said in response to CBS 4 and CBS 11's report late Wednesday that said Miller has a bench warrant for his arrest in California. "I’m hoping to have this cleared up in the next 24 hours."

Perhaps his attorney cleared it up within minutes. Or perhaps the initial reports were false altogether, and no warrant was ever issued. It isn't clear which is the case, but CBS 4's Vic Lombardi tweeted news contrary to CBS' initial report last night.

Just got confirmation. Von Miller is NOT facing an arrest warrant in California. Ticket payment was made.

— Vic Lombardi (@VicLombardi) September 12, 2013

Lombardi confirmed that no warrant is issued with both the District Attorney and county court.

The (over)reaction from the blog and twitter universe, including this here website, was so all-encompassing and severe I just had to step away to address the issue today.

People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

I am certainly not throwing stones Von Miller's way. Not for unpaid speeding tickets.

Let me repeat that: unpaid speeding tickets.

I've been there. Done that. I've gotten pulled over for speeding as a younger man, not knowing my license was suspended for a ticket I failed to pay years before. The cop could have taken me away in handcuffs. Instead he "only" impounded my car and took my license, leaving me and my two dogs stranded at a McDonald's parking lot an hour away from anyone I knew. There I waited for my brother to come pick me up. Later I had to go to court an hour out of town - twice - to get my privileges back.

Was it stupid and immature of me? You bet. Is it stupid and immature of Von Miller? You bet.

But that was my wake up call. This is Miller's. But for Miller, who lives in the national spotlight, it doesn't get to happen with discretion, or even all at once - now the media is busy digging, digging into Miller's past, digging into the active warrants in every county Miller has ever stepped foot in. And every "breaking news story" week-to-week stings like ice to Broncos fans, but to me it really just paints more of a really simple picture: Von Miller doesn't have his shit together.

Forgive me, but a minor speeding ticket is a bill. Von Miller isn't a criminal deviant. He's a young man who hasn't taken care of his business. Von Miller hasn't paid his bills. That's not uncommon for a young guy to not pay bills and not take care of his business.

Von Miller has a history and habit of not paying his speeding tickets. Everyone is right, he needs to fix that - but guess what, people don't change overnight. We might just hear another story or two or three about Miller's "troubles with the law" (difficulty paying a bill) in the next month or two.

Like half the adult men out there, give him a chance to get his shit together. Stop piling it on him in the meantime.