Denver Broncos executives arrested for DUIs

Heckert’s brush with the law came to light almost a month after his arrest, thanks to the DUI and careless driving arrest of another Broncos exec, director of player personnel Matt Russell. Both men earned suspensions, though Russell’s return date has yet to be determined. Heckert registered a blood alcohol level of .162 when he was arrested, twice the legal limit. Russell hit a .246 BAC, which is over three times the legal limit of .08.

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Two of the Broncos’ personnel executives had already gotten DUIs in recent months: Matt Russell was arrested after an incident where he slammed into a cop car at 40 miles an hour, and Tom Heckert was arrested in early June, only a month after the team hired him.

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Heckert was arrested on June 17 for a DUI and careless driving, while Russell was arrested over the weekend of July 7 when he hit the back of a police car. Russell was subsequently charged with an open container of alcohol, failure to display proof of insurance and careless driving resulting in injury.

Vic Lombardi notes that the Broncos are expected to take action internally before the NFL can respond.

Although the arrest occurred nearly a month ago, it did not become public until an Associated Press report on Tuesday. In the statement, the Broncos said they were aware of the situation immediately and notified the league offense. The team called the arrest “extremely upsetting” while Heckert said he was disappointed in his “serious mistake” and would work toward regaining the trust that was lost.

Heckert is the second Broncos executive to be arrested for DUI within a month after Russell was arrested on July 7. The team said this sort of behavior cannot be tolerated and the team would review procedures in place to prevent similar incidents.

According to the report, Russell hit a car while driving in the small town of Frisco, before hitting a second car containing a police officer. The officer was taken to the hospital with what are described as “minor injuries,” and an open container of alcohol was found in the car Russell was driving.

The Broncos executive faces multiple charges, including driving under the influence, and careless driving resulting in injury.