Florida officials investigating Von Miller after he caught a hammerhead shark

Ben Rohrbach
·Senior NBA writer
·2 min read
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The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) are trying to sack Von Miller again after the Denver Broncos linebacker and his friends caught a 9-and-a-half foot hammerhead shark off the coast of Miami last week, and this time the animal rights group has gotten the government involved.

Miller posted video to social media of the catch during a guided fishing tour:

“Seeing Von Miller smile as he holds a shark’s bloody body should turn any kind person’s stomach,” PETA official Stephanie Bell told Newsweek in a statement. “This man has a reported history of bullying animals — having previously made the news for wrestling an alligator and PETA is inquiring with officials to ensure that Miller is held accountable if killing this animal was, as we suspect, illegal.”

Miller often posts video of his fishing and hunting expeditions on social media, and his Facebook show “Studio 58” covers similar ground on his travels. Back in 2013, PETA publicly warned against Miller — renowned operator of a chicken farm in Texas — pursing poultry as a business venture.

Miller posted no evidence that he killed the shark, beyond a photo of the Super Bowl 50 MVP posing with the bloodied fish before his guided fishing tour reportedly releasing it back into the ocean:

That didn’t stop PETA from filing a complaint with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, to which FWC spokesman Rob Klepper responded publicly, via TMZ: “FWC has received the images and video and is looking into whether or not a violation occurred in this incident.”

Harvesting hammerhead sharks in state waters is considered a second-degree misdemeanor in Florida and punishable by up to 60 days in jail and/or a $500 fine, according to the Denver Post. Catching and releasing hammerhead sharks, as Miller purportedly did, is not punishable by law.

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Ben Rohrbach is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!