ESPN analyst Matt Miller faces financial investigation amid car crash recovery | Missouri

The on-air analyst for a leading US sports broadcaster says he is stepping back from his role indefinitely as he recovers from a car crash in Missouri that forced him to undergo a life-saving amputation and reportedly faces a law enforcement investigation into possible financial improprieties linked to what he declared as his side charity gig.

Matt Miller announcement His indefinite leave of absence from ESPN on Friday marked the latest development in an unusual case that has captured the attention of both the media and a significant number of American football fans who follow his area of ​​expertise: the process by which NFL teams select or draft college prospects.

The saga centered on Miller actually began on June 23. shared He said on social media platform

KOAM News of Missouri reported He said Miller crossed into oncoming traffic on a state highway on June 18 and collided with a semitractor trailer truck. Miller was later hospitalized and passed the information on to authorities and friends, KOAM said.

Miller, 42, wrote that in addition to the amputation, he suffered multiple fractures and broken ribs, leaving him “a long road ahead.”

“I am focused on my recovery and taking things one by one,” he wrote.

Miller’s post about his accident shocked the nearly 316,500 followers he has amassed on X alone through his work. The native of Joplin, Missouri, contributed NFL draft analysis to online publication Bleacher Report and ESPN for 12 years before going live on the latter of those channels in April 2023.

And as his plight spread across the digital sports landscape, many people contributed to an online campaign aimed at helping Miller raise money to help cover his medical expenses. Prominent ESPN figures including Pat McAfee, Mina Kimes and Adam Schefter contributed to the campaign, which raised more than $50,000 for Miller.

But the fundraiser was eventually discontinued after Miller faced a barrage of complaints alleging that he paid for certain efforts and did not deliver what was promised in return. At issue were the jobs he ostensibly did on the side, like managing fantasy football leagues or giving paid lessons to scout potential ball players that were supposed to generate money for charity.

A May 21 topic on Reddit called “Matt Miller Leagues and Scams” contains The many allegations against him attracted attention as news about his accident and fundraising campaign proliferated, attracting the attention of a US sports news and media website. Terrible Announcement.

Then the terrible announcement to the reporters in question They spoke with at least seven people who described paying entry fees of up to $500 for charity fantasy leagues with Miller as commissioner; When they later tried to collect his earnings or get information about where the charitable proceeds were going, they could not reach him.

According to Awful Announcing, one person said he paid Miller $500 for scouting lessons and only received a response to a single five-minute phone call.

The media said that after publishing its story, more than 40 people contacted Awful Announcing with similar accounts about Miller. Many offered evidence supporting their stories, according to Awful Announcing.

Awful Announcing found that compliance failures resulted in the forced dissolution of a charity run by Miller in 2019. An account associated with Miller on fantasy football platform Sleeper reportedly lists him as the commissioner of 91 leagues for the 2025 NFL season alone.

According to Awful Announcing, people who spoke to the outlet said there was “an increase in communication and refunds in the days before Miller’s accident,” but it was unclear to them what might have caused this.

All of these circumstances gave way to a statement from the Missouri state attorney general’s office in early July telling Awful Announcing and other outlets that the agency was conducting “an open investigation into this matter” with Miller. The office said Missouri’s attorney general, Catherine Hanaway, “takes consumer protection very seriously” and asked anyone who believes they “may have been misled” to contact the agency.

Miller’s first statement since news of the attorney general’s office investigation was made Friday, and it did not explicitly address the agency-approved investigation.

But Miller’s statement declared that surgery to remove his left arm “was successful with the hope of ultimately replacing the prosthesis.” It was stated that the relevant “femur and kneecap surgeries were also successful” and saved Miller’s left leg.

This statement later touched on Miller’s short-term professional future, saying: “In order to best focus on my recovery and recovery, I will be stepping away indefinitely and will be on leave from ESPN.

“Thank you everyone for your prayers and thoughts; please keep coming.”

Schefter and former pro wide receiver Michael Thomas were among those who responded to Miller’s post on Friday, and each expressed their wishes for his “speedy recovery.”

The Guardian understands Miller’s departure from ESPN is strictly medical in nature, intended to enable him to focus on his recovery from the accident, and is therefore likely to be gone for an extended period of time.

Meanwhile, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told the Guardian that ESPN also expects to cover the Missouri attorney general’s investigation of Miller, but it was not immediately clear when that would happen.