Broncos' Melvin Gordon Pleads Not Guilty to DUI, Speeding After October Charges

Denver Broncos running back Melvin Gordon III has pleaded not guilty to a pair of charges stemming from an October arrest, according to Mike Klis of KUSA. 

Gordon was charged with driving under the influence and speeding.

He will reappear in court for a disposition hearing on Feb. 24, followed by a jury trial scheduled for April 8. 

According to Klis, a guilty plea could have earned the star a three-game suspension from the NFL for a violation of its policy on substances of abuse, and would void his $4.5 million salary guarantee for 2021.

Gordon was arrested in Denver on Oct. 13 after being pulled over when police say he was clocked driving 71 mph in a 35 mph area. He elected to participate in a field sobriety test rather than take a breathalyzer, but officers did not let him get back behind the wheel.

According to the probable cause statement from the incident, Gordon's "speech was slurred, his eyes were watery and ... his breath had a moderate smell of alcohol." 

A blood test from the scene has yet to return results. 

“I had a hard time dealing with it myself," he said in October, per Klis. "Like I said, I hadn’t been in trouble before, so it was tough. To the people of Denver and everyone, I don’t want anyone to feel like I don’t care and say, 'Oh, he got his money, he doesn’t care.' I do. I’m not happy I was in the situation. This is something I wanted to let you know that you can put out to the people for me."

Gordon was seemingly able to put the arrest behind him to finish another productive season in the league. He collected 966 rushing yards, good for 10th in the league, with nine touchdowns for the 5-11 Broncos.