According to sources familiar with the incident, Miller and Kreutz spent the off day at an FBI shooting range in North Chicago. Tension percolated throughout the day and escalated, sources said, as more alcohol was consumed.
Kreutz, a source said, repeatedly warned Miller to stop agitating him. They eventually went to a drinking establishment with other linemen.
According to two people with knowledge of the incident, the fracas began when one player threw a drink at the other. It's unclear if Miller, who is 6 feet 7 inches and 320 pounds, first swung at Kreutz. But Kreutz landed the only punch, making Miller's mouth fill with blood when his braces cut his gums. Miller also lost a tooth.
Miller, according to one source, then "lost it," rushing Kreutz and either throwing an unknown object or striking him in the head with it. One source said it was a 5-pound weight. Another said it was a board. Kreutz, who is 6-2 and 292 pounds, suffered a cut that, according to one source, required double-digit stitches.
The center has worn headgear since the incident, although he didn't acknowledge the cut when asked directly about it Monday. "I don't have an injury," Kreutz said.
Perhaps tellingly in terms of culpability, Miller—the one with the broken jaw—apologized to Kreutz in his statements. Kreutz didn't directly return the gesture.
"I would like to apologize to Olin, my teammates and to my family," Miller said. "I realize that this is something that was very stupid on both of our parts. It's not going to happen again. We're going to move on."
Said Kreutz: "Obviously we didn't want it to happen. Things went too far. Like Fred [said], we've talked about it. We're pretty much over it. It's pretty much a done issue for us."
The players did agree about trying to cover up the incident. Both said this was done in an attempt to place the team first.