The Matt Miller-ESPN saga took another turn this week with Miller himself providing an update.
First, some background.
Miller, an NFL Draft analyst for ESPN, was involved in a life-threatening car crash last month. Details of the crash have been sparse, but we do know Miller suffered several serious injuries, one of which led to an eventual arm amputation.
The former Bleacher Report analyst posted on X about the ordeal on June 23, saying he “was involved in a serious car accident in Missouri and was airlifted to Mercy Hospital.”
“As a result of the accident, I sustained significant injuries, including multiple fractures and broken ribs. I also underwent a life-saving amputation of my left arm,” he continued before eventually mentioning a GoFundMe campaign created for him.
Matt Miller story quickly takes a turn
Around the time of the accident, a Reddit thread also went viral with several fans accusing Miller of suspicious dealings in his fantasy football leagues.
According to the popular fantasy football platform “Sleeper,” Miller was the commissioner of 91 fantasy leagues last season alone.
Dozens of fans who at one time played in a league organized by Miller came forward, and they all had the same story.
Miller would allegedly start a league. He would advertise the league. He would claim that a portion of the proceeds for the league would go to some charity.
And then, according to several accounts, he would go largely silent after the league started and after the league ended, with players in said league going months without a payout … if they got one at all.
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“Anyone in a league run by ESPN’s Matt Miller and not get paid as a winner?” the Reddit thread said. “He has ghosted ours since the championship and provided 0 communication on what funds went to charity/providing payouts to the winners. I’ve seen a few others in the same boat and wanted to see if this is a wider spread problem than a couple leagues.”
That post caught fire, and things quickly went south for Miller. It also didn’t help that his GoFundMe had quickly surpassed that original $10,000 goal and was revised to $55K. It really didn’t make things better when several players told the outlet Awful Announcing that they had since been paid after the accident, and after the GoFundMe had been created.
Matt Miller’s latest post had one big difference
Anyway, everything came to a head earlier this month when the Missouri AG confirmed to Awful Announcing that it had “an open investigation into this issue.”
“The Missouri Attorney General’s Office is now soliciting complaints directly from anyone with relevant information, including those who are not Missouri residents,” the outlet said. “A consumer complaint can be filed online or by phone through the Consumer Protection team at 800-392-8222.”
Miller remains in the hospital, and has not commented on any of this yet. That doesn’t mean he’s oblivious, though.
The longtime draft analyst took to X (Twitter) on Friday to offer an update, saying he was stepping away from ESPN to recover, but also limiting who could comment on his post.
“A quick update: The surgery to remove my left arm was successful with hopes of an eventual prosthetic replacement. Similarly, the femur and patella surgeries were also successful and the fantastic surgery team was able to save my left leg,” he said. “To best focus on my healing and recovery, I’m stepping away indefinitely and will be placed on leave from ESPN. Thank you to all for the prayers and thoughts; please keep them coming.”
“Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Get well soon, Matt,” wrote Adam Schefter.
“Speedy recovery. I still remember when I was coming out of college how much you supported me,” added former Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas. “It was like everything you said turned out to be true. Hopefully I can do the same for you boss.”
Schefter and Thomas were two of only 11 people who replied to Miller’s latest post because it was safeguarded with an “Only some accounts can reply” tag.
Every single reply was positive, which was a stark difference from Miller’s previous updates about his accident, which were open to the public. Those posts were flooded with comments about the ongoing investigation and a Reddit thread.
As for that GoFundMe? It’s been paused at $51,000.
And now everyone is caught up on the wildest story of the NFL offseason.
Stay tuned!
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