Lowell Cohn: 49ers aren't saints for cutting Bruce Miller following arrest

All credit to the 49ers for releasing Bruce Miller fast.

He is accused of punching out a father and son in a San Francisco hotel early Monday morning. Later that morning, the 49ers issued a statement saying they were looking into the incident. An hour later, another 49ers statement: Miller was history.

In 2015, he got arrested for roughing up his fiancée, pled no contest to the misdemeanor and attended counseling sessions.

So he had form. Hadn't learned very much about being a law-abiding citizen. And the 49ers decided enough was enough. Did not need this bad actor on the premises. All neat and tidy, the 49ers looking like heroes. Except for this.

Let me start by reminding you of my creed. I ask myself, “What do they (in this case the Niners) want me to see? And what do I really see?”

Simple enough.

We sure know what the Niners want us to see. A first-rate organization that's moral to the max. Does the right thing. Wins (or loses) with class. In this case, all that is true. In other cases, it wasn't exactly the case.

Let's examine two other cases starting with defensive lineman Ray McDonald, a bully, a domestic abuser.

Before the 2014 season, police came to McDonald's house twice on suspicion of domestic violence. The second time they arrested him but no formal charges were filed.

The 49ers vigorously defended McDonald. They said it wouldn't be fair to rush to conclusions. They went on and on about due process and doing due diligence. There was a lot of “due talk.”

Why were the Niners patient with McDonald? What do we really see?

The previous season - 2013 - the 49ers were a powerhouse team. They played in the NFC championship game, losing a close one to their arch-rivals, the Seahawks. Going into the 2014 season, they thought they would be a contender. Under Jim Harbaugh they always had been a contender. So, according to my perceptions, they took their sweet time, protected McDonald, kept him around because they needed him.

It soon became apparent the 2014 Niners weren't so hot, were never going to be so hot. They finished with a record of 8-8.

Cut to December 2014. McDonald got in trouble yet again. This time he was named as a suspect in a sexual assault case. What did the 49ers do? They released his butt within hours. Just like that.

We ask what the difference was between the first two incidents and the third. Here's one answer. In December 2014, the 49ers weren't going anywhere. The season was a dead duck. They didn't need McDonald anymore. Could afford to be morally outraged by his crummy behavior, could afford to drop the due-process excuse, could eliminate all the dues from their lexicon.

Then there was the case of Aldon Smith, poor, lost Aldon Smith. In years 2012, 2013 and 2014, he got in trouble multiple times. Illegal possession of an assault weapon, driving into a tree while drunk - that was an all-timer - and getting belligerent with a TSA agent at Los Angeles International Airport. The agent said Smith declared he had a bomb.

The 49ers kept Smith on the team. Lots of dues accorded him. Said it would be unfair to pass judgment on him without all the facts, etc. Similar to what they did with McDonald.

And why the gentle treatment of Smith? According to my thinking, he was a fabulous pass rusher and they needed him.

Then in August 2015 he got arrested for an alleged hit and run after driving under the influence. The Niners released him the next day. Call it speed justice. No due process, no fact-finding delays.

I'm not saying Smith deserved anything else, although he never was violent like McDonald or Miller. I'm talking about the Niners behavior. I'm saying the team already was spiraling down, would have a miserable season with that joke coach and no longer needed Smith and his problems. It was an easy, low-risk call for them.

Which brings us to Miller. It's a lot easier to cut him now than it was to cut McDonald and Smith when the Niners mattered, when they were coming off the NFC championship game. The 49ers won't be good this season. A given. They don't need Miller giving them bad press. No due-process stuff for this guy. An easy call.

And there's something else. Cutting Miller helps Chip Kelly. Big time. Miller is one of the best fullbacks in the NFL. But Kelly, for some odd reason, doesn't have a fullback in his offense. Couldn't figure out how to use Miller, one of his only good players. He converted Miller to a tight end, not Miller's position. So, Miller's getting in trouble and getting cut in the blink of an eye lets Kelly off the hook. And lets Kelly look like a good guy in the process. He has ethical standards.

The 49ers undoubtedly did the right thing in releasing Miller. What they did seems like progress. Maybe their standards have improved. If so, good for the 49ers.

Even if they had to be dragged kicking and screaming to this point of enlightenment.

For more on the world of sports in general and the Bay Area in particular, go to the Cohn Zohn at cohn.blogs.pressdemocrat.com. You can reach Staff Columnist Lowell Cohn at lowell.cohn@pressdemocrat.com.