Eric Swalwell Says He Was Threatened By Former 49er Fullback

DUBLIN, CA — U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell posted a threatening message sent to him by a former 49er starting fullback.

On Wednesday, Swalwell tweeted a screenshot of a direct message from the account of Bruce Miller, who played for the 49ers from 2011 to 2015, that reads: “Almost time!!! Would you rather Guantanamo or just execution f–kin traitor,” next to three cry-laughing emojis.

“Who is this guy threatening to execute me? And why does he have so many followers?” Swalwell wrote.

Miller, who has 54,400 followers, publicly denied that the message was a threat. “I was content with trolling corrupt politicians but since you want to make a story out of it then that’s what we’ll do," he wrote. "That was in no way a threat to you or [your] family. I missed when a harmless game of “would you rather” Guantanamo or execution." Miller then accused Swalwell and the political establishment of “committing the biggest fraud in US history” and “destroy[ing] our country.”

Swalwell told different outlets that his office reported the threats to the U.S. Capitol Police.

Since leaving the 49ers, Miller has had a number of run-ins with the law. In 2015, he was arrested on suspicion of spousal abuse, but the charges were reduced to disturbing the peace. He pleaded no contest.

In 2016, the 49ers ended their relationship with Miller after he was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a 70-year-old man and his son in a San Francisco hotel. The charges were later dropped. Hours before, he was thrown out of a sandwich shop for disruptive behavior, captured on video here.

“My family and staff are deeply disturbed by the threat of execution made to me, apparently by former San Francisco 49er Bruce Miller,” Swalwell said in a statement. “I invite my Republican colleagues, who have remained silent about the violent environment in which we govern, to join me in condemning political threats. Law enforcement must investigate this threat and hold this individual accountable.”

Swalwell, a Dublin High School graduate, has represented a large swath of the East Bay in Congress since 2013. In the past, he has tweeted screenshots and recordings of violent threats he received. In January, a lab manager was fired from his job after Swalwell posted his violent, threatening tweet. In August 2022, he posted the audio of a voicemail threatening decapitation of himself and his family. A 22-year-old Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty in October to leaving two different threatening messages.

Swalwell told The San Francisco Chronicle that he receives “dozens” of threats a week, but chose to publicize Miller’s tweet because his account has so many followers.