Denver Broncos rookie safety Ryan Murphy was questioned and released in a prostitution sting in San Jose and was sent home from the Super Bowl.
CBS says Murphy, a member of the Broncos’ practice squad, was in a car with his brother, who ended up being cited along with the suspected prostitute.
The sting operation came from Santa Clara County’s human trafficking task force. They were targeting an area of San Jose known for prostitution.
From CBS’ report:
According to sources, police detained a suspected prostitute in the area of a Motel 6 at North First Street and Brokaw Road. The woman told task force members that she had to go to a car to retrieve some property.
The car the woman went to was one Murphy and his brother were in. The woman and Murphy’s brother were both cited. NBC says police determined Murphy was not involved in anything illegal and released him. Still, head coach Gary Kubiak announced he was sending Murphy home from Super Bowl week.
“Although practice-squad safety Ryan Murphy was not cited by police, we decided it was best for the team if we continued our preparations for Super Bowl 50 without him,” coach Gary Kubiak said via a statement Tuesday night. “Ryan is returning to Denver, but his status as a practice-squad player has not changed at this time.”
Murphy was a 7th-round pick by the Seattle Seahawks out of Oregon State but was cut before the season began. He has been with Denver’s practice squad but has not registered any official stats in the NFL. Murphy is a Bay Area native and attended Oakland Technical High School.
