If you typed “Broncos” into the search box on Twitter on Tuesday evening, one of the first photos to come up was a police mug shot of Broncos director of pro personnel Tom Heckert, taken after an arrest on DUI charges last month.

As Heckert’s arrest came to light Tuesday afternoon, just one day after news broke that the team’s director of player personnel, Matt Russell, was arrested on DUI charges in Summit County last weekend, the Broncos faced a public relations crisis.

A franchise that has long placed a premium on projecting a positive image faces the humiliation of having its top two assistants to football operations boss John Elway arrested on drunken driving charges.

“This type of behavior is inexcusable, unacceptable and completely embarrassing,” team president Joe Ellis told The Denver Post in a phone interview. “It’s embarrassing for us as a franchise, it’s embarrassing for Mr. (Pat) Bowlen, it’s especially embarrassing for our fans. We don’t tolerate it, and we’re not going to.

“My expectation is the discipline will be severe.”

Russell and Heckert not only face punishment from the legal system but also by the Broncos and the NFL in terms of suspensions and fines. A rehabilitation program is also likely to be mandated.

Ellis could barely contain his disgust.

“These are egregious errors,” he said. “The only good thing is nobody was seriously or critically hurt. Both employees have been on the record expressing their remorse, and that’s all well and good. But it’s not going to prevent us from addressing this in the right manner.

“Executives in our company are held to a higher standard. That’s a mandate handed down from the commissioner. One episode is one too many. Two is ridiculous. I understand the outrage in the community, I understand the outrage of the fans. It’s justified. We have an obligation to do the right thing. And we will.”

Team owner Pat Bowlen, who hired Hall of Famer Elway to restore luster to an organization that had lost its way two seasons ago, was furious at the turn of events for a franchise that appeared to have everything going its way heading into a season where the team is among the favorites to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

“What I would say is (he) is just shaking his head with disbelief and disappointment,” Ellis said.

When Elway was introduced as the team’s football boss in 2011, after a season during which the Broncos were found to be spying on an opponent under former coach Josh McDaniels, he said: “I understand what the Broncos are about. They are about the integrity, about the winning and about the things that you do and how you handle yourself — not only as a player but in the front office. That is what Mr. Bowlen has brought here.”

The past two days have been a markedly different story.

And, while the Broncos appear to be more inclined to help Russell and Heckert get counseling rather than firing them, the repercussions are expected to be harsh, by the team and perhaps the NFL. In 2010, Detroit Lions president Tom Lewand was suspended for 30 days and fined $100,000 by the NFL after he pleaded guilty to driving while impaired.

The NFL is facing its own image problems. There have been 39 player arrests this calendar year, and last month former Patriots star tight end Aaron Hernandez was charged with murder.

Both Heckert’s and Russell’s arrests fall under the league’s personal conduct policy, so both could be fined and suspended, no matter the outcome in their coming court appearances.

Heckert is facing DUI charges from an arrest last month in Parker, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday. He joins Russell in facing DUI charges. Russell was arrested Saturday night in Summit County after allegedly hitting two cars, one of them a Breckenridge police car.

According to KMGH-Channel 7, which quoted the arrest affidavit, Russell failed a voluntary roadside sobriety exercise. He then registered a .246 breath-alcohol content on a portable breath tester, far exceeding the threshold for a DUI violation in Colorado of .08.

When the state trooper asked how much alcohol Russell had consumed, he replied, “two green drinks,” according to the affidavit. The trooper said he recovered a half-empty fifth of Hiram Walker peppermint schnapps from Russell’s car.

Heckert, 45, was arrested at 10:15 p.m. June 11 near South Chambers Road and East Main Street in Parker. Police say he possibly had been weaving out of his lane, according to Douglas County Sheriff’s spokesperson Ron Hanavan. Heckert joined the Broncos on May 7 after previously serving as the Cleveland Browns’ general manager.

Ellis said the team is in the process of gathering information from authorities regarding Russell’s multiple charges in Summit County.

The Broncos had known about Heckert’s arrest since it happened. Ellis has been in contact the past two days with the NFL office about how to proceed. Heckert’s first court date was Monday, the same day the Broncos were forced to release statements on Russell’s arrest.

Russell will have his next court appearance — a bond hearing — in Summit County on Aug. 21. Russell faces multiple charges including DUI and careless driving resulting in injury from two separate incidents last Saturday evening.

Heckert released a statement Tuesday apologizing for his actions.

The NFL could not be reached for comment on the situation. Comments were flowing freely, however, on all social media platforms, with outrage directed toward the Broncos.

The team offers drug and alcohol counseling programs for any employee, including players and front-office executives. Some within the team are especially troubled because personnel executives such as Russell and Heckert are in positions to critique players’ character and off-the-field behavior and use those reports as part of the player evaluations, both in the draft and pro personnel, before contracts are offered.

“I understand everyone’s anger,” Ellis said.

Jeff Legwold: jlegwold@denverpost.com or twitter.com/jeff_legwold

Staff writer Mike Klis contributed to this report.