The Denver Broncos are dropping outside linebackers coach Michael Wilhoite after an incident at Denver International Airport resulted in his arrest on a charge of assaulting a police officer.
In a statement obtained by Mike Klis of 9News, Broncos head coach Sean Payton said the decision was made after thorough discussions and a meeting with Wilhoite:
“After thorough discussions as an organization, I met with Michael Wilhoite and informed him we have decided to part ways. We recognize the serious nature of the allegations against him and believe this is the best course of action at this time.
“I appreciate Michael’s contributions to the Broncos and am confident he will move forward in a positive direction.”
The incident in question occurred last month, the day before the Broncos staff traveled to Indianapolis for the NFL scouting combine. Wilhoite allegedly left his car unattended in the arrivals lane of the airport and was told by a uniformed police officer he couldn’t leave it there upon returning.
Wilhoite allegedly told the officer to “shut the f*** up” twice, then bumped his chest. The officer reportedly responded by shoving him back, at which point Wilhoite allegedly punched him in the face and attempted to get back in his car. The officer reportedly fired his taser and hit Wilhoite on the hip, but that didn’t prevent him from driving away after a few seconds.
The incident allegedly left the officer with injuries to both knees, pain in his jaw and possibly his left wrist.
Wilhoite was later arrested and formally charged with second-degree assault on a police officer, obstruction of a peace officer and criminal mischief.
Wilhoite was hired as part of Payton’s original Broncos coaching staff two years ago and had previously worked for the coach as an assistant on the New Orleans Saints. He also worked as a linebackers coach for the Los Angeles Chargers.
As a player, Wilhoite played six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks, rising from an undrafted practice squad player to a starter for the Niners in 2014. He was a special teams player on the San Francisco team that reached Super Bowl LVII the prior season and retired with 298 career combined tackles.
Wilhoite was a fairly well-regarded coach before the incident, interviewing for the Saints defensive coordinator job in 2022 and taking part in the NFL’s Coach Accelerator program in 2024, but he seems to have bigger things to worry about now.
