Denver Broncos WR Kills himself

[Buffalo Dave]

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Denver Broncos wide receiver Kenny McKinley was found dead in his apartment Monday in an apparent suicide.

Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson said authorities were called to McKinley's apartment in Centennial at 3:35 p.m. local time and found his body in the second-floor master bedroom. He said detectives believe McKinley, 23, was killed by a self-inflicted gunshot wound.


McKinley
Robinson said authorities were called by a female friend of McKinley's who discovered the body after returning from an errand with his child. The sheriff declined to say if authorities found a suicide note.

"It's still part of our investigation and probably nothing we'll talk about right now," he said.

McKinley's death is the latest in a series for tragedies for the Broncos in recent years. Cornerback Darrent Williams was slain in a drive-by shooting on New Year's Day 2007 and three months later backup running back Damien Nash collapsed and died after a charity basketball game in St. Louis.

"Everyone with the Broncos is shocked and saddened by the loss of Kenny McKinley," team owner Pat Bowlen said in a statement. "He was part of the Broncos' family and will be greatly missed by our organization. My most heartfelt condolences go out to Kenny's family and friends."

The Broncos said coach Josh McDaniels would meet with the media on Tuesday.

In a statement, McDaniels said: "Kenny had a promising future on the football field, but more importantly, he was a great teammate whose smile and personality could light up the room. This is a tragic loss for our football team, and his family is in all of our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time."

McKinley was a second-year pro who was on the team's injured reserve list with a knee injury. He played in eight games as a rookie in 2009 with seven kick returns for 158 yards before going on injured reserve with a knee injury on Dec. 29.

He recovered and participated in the team's offseason workouts but got hurt again during the first week of training camp and was placed on IR with a knee injury on Aug. 5.

McKinley's agent Andrew Bondarowicz told ESPN.com's Bill Williamson that he spoke with the wideout last week but that there were no obvious signs of despair.

McKinley remains South Carolina's all-time leading receiver with 207 catches for 2,781 yards. He came back to the school earlier this month, watched the Gamecocks beat Georgia 17-6 and visited with his college coach, Steve Spurrier.

"Had a wonderful smile just like he always did," Spurrier said.

The news of McKinley's death spread quickly at the end of South Carolina's practice Monday. Players who normally sprint off the field upbeat walked slowly with their heads down.

"Kenny was certainly one of my all-time favorite players. It's hard to figure out why it happened like this," Spurrier said.

Man Broncos seem to get the worst news.

 

[The Crock]

Tragic. RIP.

 

[justinsayne]

Fuck, that sucks

(I have to be honest though, the first thing I thought when I saw the thread was "Oh shit, I hope it's not Jabar Gaffney", I have him on my fantasy football team, and for the record I then felt like shit over thinking that)

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Fuck, that sucks

(I have to be honest though, the first thing I thought when I saw the thread was "Oh shit, I hope it's not Jabar Gaffney", I have him on my fantasy football team, and for the record I then felt like shit over thinking that)

 

[Rhonda Rousey's Sports Bra]

That was pretty terrible.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

Fuck, that sucks

(I have to be honest though, the first thing I thought when I saw the thread was "Oh shit, I hope it's not Jabar Gaffney", I have him on my fantasy football team, and for the record I then felt like shit over thinking that)

You aren't the only one. Although, for the record - I didn't feel like shit over it.

I mean, yeah, it's a pretty awful thing to think - but we don't KNOW these people in real life; and people die all the time. He committed suicide, which = me not feeling overly sorry for him since he clearly wanted to die.

I suppose I need to add this..

I felt bad for his Friends and Family, that he took his life. I felt bad that in his mind, his life was miserable enough to take it. But I do not, and will not, feel remorse, guilt, or pity, for someone who ends their own life.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

I felt bad for his Friends and Family, that he took his life. I felt bad that in his mind, his life was miserable enough to take it. But I do not, and will not, feel remorse, guilt, or pity, for someone who ends their own life.

being serious, he might not even have had any. Maybe why he killed hisself, jus sayin jus sayin

 

[TheOneBigWill]

being serious, he might not even have had any. Maybe why he killed hisself, jus sayin jus sayin

Speaking blunt and truthfully, I think people feel uneasy about talking down about someone who committed suicide. I'm not heartless, and I'm not without feeling sorry he felt he had to die.. but I'm not gonna coddle the situation because it's depressing.

Everyone has shit to deal with in life, but not everyone takes the self-proclaimed "easy way out".

What truly gets to me is this..

He was making good money, (I'd assume) as a Pro Football player. He had a spot on the roster at least, right? So he had a job - which is more than so many can say who are in far worse positions in life. Unless he had some uncurable health issue what truly could've been so bad that he took his own life?

So, let's assume he had no Family, and possibly no real friends. So he has plenty of free time.. doesn't sound terribly bad to me.

 

[Goliath Uterus]

Damn man, that's terrible.

 

[Buffalo Dave]

He was making good money, (I'd assume) as a Pro Football player. He had a spot on the roster at least, right? So he had a job - which is more than so many can say who are in far worse positions in life. Unless he had some uncurable health issue what truly could've been so bad that he took his own life?

So, let's assume he had no Family, and possibly no real friends. So he has plenty of free time.. doesn't sound terribly bad to me.

He was at least making 310k which was the league minimum last year. He did have a spot on the roster, but was on the IR. Shit even if he was on the practice squad you make $5200 a week. According to the article he had a son, so theres some family!