{"id":143,"date":"2007-05-30T05:38:16","date_gmt":"2007-05-30T09:38:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antipolygraph.org\/blog\/?p=143"},"modified":"2026-05-16T03:58:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T08:58:18","slug":"denver-broncos-coach-puts-polygraph-results-above-trial-results-in-kircus-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antipolygraph.org\/blog\/2007\/05\/30\/denver-broncos-coach-puts-polygraph-results-above-trial-results-in-kircus-case\/","title":{"rendered":"Denver Broncos Coach Puts Polygraph Results Above Trial Results in Kircus Case"},"content":{"rendered":"

Denver Post staff writer Mike Chambers reports in “Shanahan: Kircus Won’t Be Booted”<\/a>:<\/p>\n

A conviction for assault would not cause Broncos receiver David Kircus to be released from the team.<\/p>\n

Coach Mike Shanahan said today that Kircus passed a lie-detector test Friday morning and that as far as the team is concerned, it will outweigh any criminal judicial result in the aftermath of his alleged fistfight with a Centennial homeowner in the early morning hours of May 20.<\/p>\n

“David came to me and said, ‘Hey coach, I guarantee I did not take the first swing. I defended myself. I probably used poor judgment, being at the wrong place at the wrong time.’<\/p>\n

“I said, ‘Well David, I’ll give you a chance to take a lie-detector test, and he wanted to do that. And he passed it with flying colors, so he will be on our football team,” Shanahan said.<\/p>\n

Kircus is charged with second-degree assault, a class 4 felony. He is accused of assaulting homeowner Jeff Krieger, 26, in the driveway of Krieger’s home in the 8200 block of South Krameria Way at about 3:27 a.m. on May 20. Krieger suffered multiple facial fractures.<\/p>\n

Shanahan said an FBI agent – “someone that does it for a living” – administered the lie-detector test.<\/p>\n

“That’s fair enough for me,” Shanahan said. “When your career is based on if it comes out positive or negative, I get a good feeling he defended himself.”<\/p>\n

It’s not the first time Shanahan has used a lie-detector test on players, college or pro.<\/p>\n

“It’s been very good for us over the years, or at least my experience over the years,” he said.<\/p>\n

And what about those who have flunked?<\/p>\n

“They weren’t with us,” Shanahan said.<\/p>\n

Kircus declined comment today.<\/p>\n

Staff writer Mike Chambers can be reached at 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

For Shanahan, polygraph results may be a convenient explanation for keeping a valued player even if he is convicted of assault, but they are proof of nothing. Polygraph testing has no scientific basis<\/a> to begin with, is inherently biased against the truthful<\/a>, and yet easily circumvented through the use of simple countermeasures<\/a> that polygraphers have no proven ability to detect.<\/p>\n

[Update] The Law Prof Blog points out<\/a> that the Broncos’ reported reliance on the polygraph appears to violate the Employee Polygraph Protection Act.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Denver Post staff writer Mike Chambers reports in “Shanahan: Kircus Won’t Be Booted”: A conviction for assault would not cause Broncos receiver David Kircus to be released from the team. Coach Mike Shanahan said today that Kircus passed a lie-detector test Friday morning and that as far as the team is concerned, it will outweigh … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-polygraph"],"yoast_head":"\nDenver Broncos Coach Puts Polygraph Results Above Trial Results in Kircus Case<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antipolygraph.org\/blog\/2007\/05\/30\/denver-broncos-coach-puts-polygraph-results-above-trial-results-in-kircus-case\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Denver Broncos Coach Puts Polygraph Results Above Trial Results in Kircus Case\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Denver Post staff writer Mike Chambers reports in “Shanahan: Kircus Won’t Be Booted”: A conviction for assault would not cause Broncos receiver David Kircus to be released from the team. 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