Updated: May 24, 2006, 3:49 PM ET
Broncos QB Plummer denies road-rage incident
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Associated Press
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AP Photo/Jack Dempsey
Plummer addressed his alleged road-rage incident during a Broncos minicamp.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-TOP: 10px" vAlign=top><!-- begin leftcol --><!-- template inline -->ENGLEWOOD, Colo. --
Denver Broncos quarterback
Jake Plummer insists he's not a hothead and denies backing into another motorist's vehicle in a road rage incident last month.
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Plummer said Wednesday the other driver bumped his tailgate at a red light in south suburban Denver after zipping through traffic on his way to deliver a check to charity on April 20.
He acknowledged cutting off the other motorist while talking on his cell phone.
"I waved in my rearview mirror and even said sorry. And all I heard was incessant honking. When I pulled up to the light, I felt a bump on the back of my tailgate, which was very surprising," Plummer said.
He said he got out of his 2005 Honda Element to check for damage. Finding none, he got back into his truck, drove away when the light changed and called 911 to report the incident.
"It wasn't like he smashed into me. It was more like a tap to say, 'Hey, you cut me off.' So I let 911 know and I took off and had to get to my function," Plummer said.
Police told him they have no record of his call but Plummer said he'll show investigators his cell phone records to prove it.
Plummer was issued a summons for a misdemeanor city violation of "injure or destroy property," similar to criminal mischief under state law. The summons orders Plummer to appear at Englewood's Violations Bureau between June 2 and June 15.
The pickup driver, Douglas Stone, 47, of Denver, did not return a call from The Associated Press. He told KDVR-TV in Denver he did not realize the other driver was Plummer.
Plummer, Denver's quarterback for three seasons, has received unwelcome attention before. In 2004, he flashed an obscene gesture to a heckler in the home crowd. When a newspaper columnist identified his girlfriend last year, he called the columnist and criticized Broncos fans. He later apologized and said he likes being Denver's quarterback.
Plummer said this latest incident shouldn't affect his reputation.
"When football season comes, I don't think anybody's going to be saying, 'Oh yeah! I remember that road rage thing.' They're not going to care," he said.
"It's a matter of how we play ball and go on, and image tarnished, whatever, role model, blah blah blah, I'm here to play football and win games and whatever happens, that's what I've got to deal with," he said.
Learning to control his temper is not an issue, either, Plummer suggested.
"I'm not concerned one bit with that. I'm very calm," he said. "There's no anger management problems with me, no."
In this latest incident, "I wasn't angry one bit until he bumped me in the back of my car," Plummer said.
According to a police report, witnesses said a man later identified as Plummer got out of the Honda at the stoplight and said something to Stone. The comments aren't in the report. Plummer denied saying anything to Stone.
The other driver then returned to the Honda, backed into the pickup and left when the light changed, the report said, quoting witnesses.
One witness wrote down the Honda license plate, which police traced to Plummer.
Police investigator John Hoehler said the officer in charge of the case did not contact Plummer until last week because he was busy with other matters.
Plummer said he was surprised when he was contacted by police on Friday because "it was a month after everything had transpired."
The police report said Plummer's car had $200 to $300 in damage and Stone's pickup had about $25 damage to its front license plate holder.
On Wednesday, Plummer said he didn't notice any damage at the scene because the trucks were pressed against each other bumper to bumper.
Asked if he backed up into the other truck, Plummer said, "From the story I just told you, I think that would be impossible for that to happen."
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