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An on-air analyst for a top US sports broadcaster says he is pulling back from his role indefinitely as he heals from a car crash in Missouri that forced him to undergo a life-saving amputation – and while he reportedly faces a law enforcement investigation into possible financial improprieties connected to what he billed as side charity work.
Matt Miller’s announcement on Friday that he was taking indefinite leave from ESPN provided only the latest twist in an unusual case that has drawn significant attention from both media as well as the substantial number of American football fanatics who follow his area of expertise: the process by which NFL teams select, or draft, collegiate prospects.
The saga centering on Miller effectively began on ۲۳ June, when he shared on the social media platform X that he had recently been in a devastating car crash in his home state of Missouri for which he had to have his left arm amputated to save his life.
Missouri’s KOAM News reported that Miller had crossed into oncoming traffic and collided with a semi tractor trailer truck while on a state highway on ۱۸ June. KOAM said that Miller was then flown to a hospital, attributing the information to authorities and friends of his.
In addition to the amputation, Miller, ۴۲, wrote that he had suffered multiple fractures and broken ribs, leaving him to navigate “a long road”.
“I’m focused on my recovery and taking things one day at a time,” he wrote.
Miller’s post about his crash shocked the roughly ۳۱۶,۵۰۰ followers that he had accumulated on X alone through his work. The native of Joplin, Missouri, had contributed NFL draft analysis to the online publication Bleacher Report and ESPN for ۱۲ years before making his on-air debut at the latter of those outlets in April ۲۰۲۳.
And as word of his plight spread across the digital sports landscape, many contributed to an online campaign meant to help Miller raise money to help cover his medical costs. Prominent ESPN personalities including Pat McAfee, Mina Kimes and Adam Schefter contributed to the campaign as it raised more than $۵۰,۰۰۰ for Miller.
But the fundraiser was ultimately paused after Miller was met with a series of complaints alleging that he had fielded payments for certain endeavors without delivering in return what was promised. In question was work he ostensibly did on the side, such as administering fantasy football leagues or paid lessons on scouting prospective ball players that were supposed to generate money for charity.
A ۲۱ May thread on the Reddit platform named “Matt Miller Leagues and Scam” contained many allegations against him, gained notice as news of the crash and fundraising campaign proliferated, and caught the attention of the US sports news and media website Awful Announcing.
Awful Announcing reporters then said they spoke to at least seven people who recounted paying entry fees as high as $۵۰۰ for charity fantasy leagues whose commissioner was Miller – then not being able to reach him when they sought to collect their winnings or information about where the charitable proceeds had ended up.
One person quoted by Awful Announcing detailed paying Miller $۵۰۰ for scouting lessons – and getting back only a single, five-minute phone call.
The outlet said more than ۴۰ additional people contacted Awful Announcing with similar accounts about Miller after publishing its reporting. Many provided evidence bolstering their stories, according to Awful Announcing.
Awful Announcing established that compliance failures had resulted in the forcible dissolution of a charity run by Miller in ۲۰۱۹. It reported that an account associated with Miller on the fantasy football platform Sleeper was listed as the commissioner of ۹۱ leagues during the ۲۰۲۵ NFL season alone.
According to Awful Announcing, people who spoke to the outlet said “there was a surge of communication and repayments in the days before Miller’s crash”, though it was unclear to them what may have precipitated that.
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All of those circumstances gave way to an early July statement from the Missouri state attorney general’s office telling Awful Announcing and other outlets that the agency had “an open investigation into this issue” with Miller. The office asked anyone believing “they may have been misled” to contact the agency, saying Missouri’s attorney general, Catherine Hanaway, “takes consumer protection very seriously”.
Miller’s first statement since the news about the attorney’s general office investigation was on Friday, and it conspicuously did not address the inquiry confirmed by the agency.
But Miller’s statement did declare that the surgery to remove his left arm “was successful with hopes of an eventual prosthetic replacement”. And it said related “femur and patella surgeries were also successful”, saving Miller’s left leg.
That statement then addressed Miller’s short-term professional future, saying: “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.”
Schefter and former all-pro wide receiver Michael Thomas were among those who responded to Miller’s post on Friday, with each expressing their wish for him to have a “speedy recovery”.
The Guardian understands Miller’s leave from ESPN is strictly medical in nature, aims to allow him to focus on recovering from the crash, and therefore is likely to be for an extended period.
Meanwhile, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told the Guardian that ESPN also anticipates addressing the Missouri attorney general’s investigation into Miller, though it was not immediately clear when that may be.
