I was contemplating whether I would speak on this tragedy since I really know very little about the person involved. When I say "very little", I really mean nothing at all. However, there was some familiarity about the story which was too much for me to avoid.
Denver Broncos wide receiver Kenny McKinley was found dead Monday afternoon from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was only 23-years-old.
You could have shown me 30 different pictures of Kenny and I still would have guessed wrong every single time. I Have never heard of this cat in my life. The fact that he was selected by the Broncos in the fifth round (141st overall) in 2009 really had nothing to do with it. It's just that he hadn't made a big enough impact in the League for me to know who he was.
What I did recognize right off the bat was the coincidence of the team he played for. Unfortunately, the Denver Broncos are no stranger to tragedy. This is the third Bronco player that has died since just 2007. Cornerback Darrent Williams, 24, was fatally shot in January 2007. Runningback Damien Nash, also 24, died after collapsing at a charity basketball game later that winter.
Now you all know that I'm die-hard Kansas City Chiefs fan. The Denver Broncos are known to be their biggest rivals. But when it comes to matters like these, I would never wish misfortune like that on any organization. All three of those cats were gone much too soon and deserved to live fuller lives.
It's speculated that McKinley was depressed because he was on injured reserve as a result of a knee injury and was worried about life after football. 23-years-old is far too young for a person to be stressing over something like that. It's too bad he didn't have a stronger support vein to prevent him for taking such drastic measures. Hopefully younger players can learn from this and realize that football is not the be all to end all.
Rest in peace, Kenny.
