ENGLEWOOD, Colo — The coaches went back on the clock Monday. The players show up Tuesday.
And the Broncos’ 2024 training camp is off and running.
The team announced its early acclimation sessions prior to the team’s first open-to-the-public practice Friday at Broncos Park.
Tuesday: Veteran players report. (Rookies reported for conditioning last week.) Sean Payton and players will be available for interviews. The team will then host a Media BBQ.
Wednesday: Acclimation practice, 10-11:30 a.m. Payton and player interviews.
Thursday: Acclimation practice, 10-11:45 a.m. Payton and player interviews.
Friday: First training camp practice, 10 a.m. Free admission and parking to fans who acquired tickets.
Saturday: Second camp practice, 10 a.m.
Sunday: Off.
Watson OK
Good news for the Broncos and their running back competition. Undrafted rookie Blake Watson was placed on the Broncos’ non-football-injury list (NFI) last week but it was only because of a tweaked leg muscle, a source told 9NEWS.
Watson, who received an impressive $25,000 signing bonus and $275,000 in salary guarantees to join the Broncos after he was undrafted out of Memphis, tweaked his leg during the dead period, causing the Broncos to place him on NFI as a procedural matter. He should be cleared to participate in camp practice soon.
Inny awaits
Broncos defensive lineman Eyioma “Inny” Uwazurike will apply for NFL reinstatement Wednesday from his yearlong gambling suspension. The NFL often reinstates suspended players the same day they apply, but each case is different.
And there is a possible complication to Uwazurike’s reinstatement. His matter has been under review by the Colorado Department of Revenue and Arapahoe County prosecutors to determine whether any state gambling laws were violated, sources told 9NEWS. While no charges have been filed and it’s not yet known whether charges will be filed, 9NEWS has learned Arapahoe County is working with the state’s gaming department on a criminal investigation regarding Uwazurike.
As of Monday, no decision on whether to file charges has been made by the Arapahoe DA but the review remains open, according to a source.
The question: Would the NFL reinstate Uwazurike even though the criminal review remains open?
Uwazurike, a fourth-round draft pick out of Iowa State in 2022 who played sparingly as a rookie, has been regularly attending Gamblers Anonymous and therapy sessions to demonstrate contrition and reform.
His criminal case in Iowa was dismissed and suppressed last year because it was determined the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation wrongfully used a geolocation software to collect information, which the court determined to be a violation of his constitutional rights.
Uwazurike’s attorney, Harvey Steinberg, told 9NEWS earlier this month local authorities don’t have a case against his client.
“Iowa court suppressed all evidence seized, finding it was taken illegally,’’ Steinberg said. “That ruling is binding on the Colorado courts and the Colorado prosecutors. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to attempt to prosecute a case here when all the charges were dismissed in Iowa as result of that ruling.”
9NEWS investigative reporter Kevin Vaughan contributed to this report.
