Broncos receiver David Kircus won’t lose his job over the incident that led to his May 21 arrest for second-degree assault, coach Mike Shanahan said Tuesday.
Shanahan said Kircus passed a polygraph test Friday and the coach said he believes the receiver acted in self-defense in a fistfight with a Centennial man in the early morning hours of May 20.
“David came to me and said, ‘Hey, Coach, I guarantee I did not take the first swing. I defended myself. I probably used poor judgment, being at the wrong place at the wrong time.’
“I said, ‘Well, David, I’ll give you a chance to take a lie-detector test,’ and he wanted to do that. And he passed it with flying colors, so he will be on our football team,” Shanahan said.
Kircus is accused of assaulting Jeff Krieger, 26, in the driveway of Krieger’s home in the 8200 block of South Krameria Way at 3:27 a.m. on May 20. Krieger suffered multiple facial fractures. Kircus was charged with second-degree assault, a Class 4 felony, which carries a minimum mandatory sentence of five years in prison and a range of up to 16 years.
Shanahan said an FBI agent – “someone that does it for a living” – administered the polygraph test.
“That’s fair enough for me,” Shanahan said. “When your career is based on if it comes out positive or negative, I get a good feeling he defended himself.”
Most courts question the reliability of polygraph tests and will not allow them as evidence. But Denver-area attorney H. Michael Steinberg said there is a big difference between passing a test and passing it with “flying colors,” as Shanahan stated it.
“The examiner will tell you that you passed, but he’s the only one that knows to the true extent, by how much of a margin,” Steinberg said. “When you’re talking about flying colors, there is no doubt that you were telling the truth. I believe in these tests.”
Kircus is represented by attorney Harvey Steinberg, who is not related to H. Michael Steinberg. It’s not the first time the Broncos have used a polygraph test on players, college or pro.
“It’s been very good for us over the years, or at least my experience over the years,” Shanahan said.
And what about those who have flunked? “They weren’t with us,” Shanahan said.
Kircus declined comment.
Bracing to block
Wearing a brace on his surgically repaired right knee, Broncos offensive tackle Matt Lepsis was back in uniform Tuesday for the first time since tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in Game 6 last season against the Cleveland Browns.
Lepsis will participate in individual drills this week and hopes to ease into the mock scrimmages next week.
It’s another step toward a more difficult challenge awaiting not only Lepsis but the entire Denver offensive line. Jay Cutler may be a superior passer to former Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer, but a stronger arm also brings the tougher task of pocket protection for an offensive lineman.
“It definitely is going to make it harder for us,” Lepsis said. “We’ve been kind of spoiled with Jake in the past. He could get out of anything. I mean, Cutler’s a good mobile quarterback, too, but Jake, that’s why they called him ‘The Snake.’ He was good at what he did. He made our job really easy.”
Moore movement
The new Al Wilson at middle linebacker is D.J. Williams. The new D.J. Williams at outside linebacker may be Eddie Moore.
A second-round draft pick of the Miami Dolphins in 2003, where Jim Bates was defensive coordinator at the time, Moore has been plagued by injuries ever since. Moore didn’t play a down last season as he struggled to overcome a defect in his right knee, but he played with the Broncos’ first-team defense at minicamp Tuesday.
“He’s worked through those injuries and he’s had a good off- season program and he’s been very impressive in this camp,” Shanahan said.
Staff writer Mike Klis contributed to this report.
