Broncos wide receiver Kenny McKinley was found dead Monday afternoon in Arapahoe County of an apparent suicide.
Authorities were called to McKinley’s home in central Centennial at approximately 3:25 p.m. to investigate a possible suicide. Officers discovered McKinley’s body in a second-floor bedroom with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
He was 23 and is survived by a young son.
McKinley, a second-year NFL player, was on the Broncos’ injured reserve list after having season-ending knee surgery in August, his second knee surgery of 2010.
The Broncos will have a team meeting today at their Dove Valley headquarters to discuss McKinley’s death, and grief counselors will be available.
“Kenny had a promising future on the football field, but more important, he was a great teammate whose smile and personality could light up the room,” coach Josh McDaniels said in a statement Monday night. “This is a tragic loss for our football team, and his family is in all of our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”
The Broncos are a team familiar with grief after the deaths of cornerback Darrent Williams and running back Damien Nash in 2007. Current and former Broncos were at a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Denver, which is home to the Darrent Williams Memorial Teen Center, when they learned of McKinley’s death.
“It’s too fresh. I haven’t gotten my mind around it yet,” cornerback Champ Bailey said.
McKinley played in eight games for the Broncos as a rookie in 2009, mostly on special teams. He suffered a season-ending knee injury in the second-to-last game of last season.
“He was one of the funniest guys I knew,” former Broncos receiver Brandon Stokley said. “Everything he said and everything he did was funny. That was his personality — he was always happy. A lot of people say that about people that passed, but that’s the truth. He was always a happy, funny guy. That’s what makes this so devastating.”
McKinley finished his college career at South Carolina as the Gamecocks’ career leader in catches (207) and reception yards (2,781). But he never was able to match his college success in his brief NFL career, in part because of injuries.
His second stint on injured reserve had been particularly difficult. Still, there was little indication to those who knew him best about how much McKinley might have been suffering.
“Kenny had a big heart, a love for life. It’s just very shocking,” said Andrew Bondarowicz, his agent. “These guys, they’re made of steel on the outside. But for a lot of them, the challenge of being at your best and living up to all the expectations is a difficult situation. Some people are better equipped and have the support system.”
McKinley recently was in the Atlanta area visiting family members, and he attended South Carolina’s football game against Georgia in Columbia, S.C., on Sept. 11. He was introduced to the crowd at the Gamecocks’ Williams-Brice Stadium and received loud applause.
McKinley flew back to Denver on Sunday with his son, Bondarowicz said.
“I saw him here. He came to the Georgia game. He seemed in good spirits,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier told The State newspaper in Columbia on Monday night. “He had a great smile, like he always had. I don’t understand it, if it happened the way they say. It’s hard to comprehend. Kenny was one of my favorite all-time players. He was one of them. He was a wonderful guy. It’s hard to figure out how, or why, this happened.”
Lindsay H. Jones: 303-954-1262 or ljones@denverpost.com
Triple tragedies
Kenny McKinley was the third Broncos player in nearly four years to die:
Darrent Williams, age 24, cornerback
Murdered in a drive-by shooting on New Year’s Day 2007 in Denver.
Damien Nash, 24, running back
Collapsed and died after a charity basketball game in St. Louis in December 2007.
Kenny McKinley, 23, wide receiver
Died of an apparent suicide Monday at his apartment in Arapahoe County.
