Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller is under investigation by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission after catching a hammerhead shark off the coast of Miami.
A fishing expedition in Miami, Florida, proved to be quite successful for the Broncos' Von Miller, when he and his friends reeled in a 9.5-foot hammerhead shark. The event was caught on camera and circulated on social media before the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) caught wind of it and tipped off the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), who launched an investigation into whether any laws were violated. [embed]https://twitter.com/twitter/statuses/979827208477818881[/embed]
On the TMZ video (which is a little longer than the one above), Miller and his friends can be seen reeling in the shark and being given a brief educational explanation of the shark's body before releasing it into the ocean. The shark, though bloody, appears to swim away unharmed.
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This wasn't the first time Miller has caught a shark, according to BroncosWire. A fishing trip in July 2016 was similarly fruitful.
Hammerhead sharks are considered an endangered species, having been added to CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) in 2013, an action that placed restrictions and licensing on fishing and commerce of hammerheads.
But the FWC would need to prove that Miller and his friends killed the shark in order to prosecute them. Catching and releasing a hammerhead shark is within the bounds of the law. The investigation is ongoing.
What do you think about Von Miller's big catch? Please leave a comment below!