Gambling Debt May Have Led to Bronco's Suicide

Kenny McKinley had a gambling problem and deep debts as a result when he took his own life in September, investigators looking into the wide receiver’s death discovered. One fellow Bronco, backup quarterback Tom Brandstater, told investigators he’d lent McKinley $65,000 to pay down $40,000 he owed a Las Vegas casino. Investigators also found that McKinley had mentioned suicide to three of his teammates, including Brandstater. McKinley was also worried about child support for his toddler son and a separate paternity suit.

"It's unfortunate at a time like this that we don't get to focus on how great of a person Kenny was and how much he meant to a lot of people," Brandstater told the AP yesterday. "As for the other circumstances, Kenny was a friend in need and I would do anything for him, as he would have done for me." (More Kenny McKinley death stories.)