Former University of Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan, a 2007 Heisman Trophy finalist, died early Tuesday morning in Newport, Calif., According to ESPN. He was 37 years old.
Terry Brennan, Colt Brennan’s father, told ESPN his son ingested a substance containing fentanyl and never regained consciousness. Paramedics were called to a hotel room on Monday where Colt Brennan had been with other people.
Hours before he was found, Colt Brennan had attempted to participate in a drug rehab program at a hospital, but was turned down because there were no beds available, his father said.
“He was really into it,” Terry Brennan said of the treatment program, according to ESPN. “It involved a lot of physical activity and he liked it. He was working with soldiers who had returned from Afghanistan and Iraq with similar problems. He was doing pretty well for four months. Then something happened. passed and he went in the dark. side, and that just wasn’t good. “
Two-time Western Athletic Conference winner Offensive Player of the Year (2006, 2007), Brennan led the Rainbow Warriors to an unbeaten regular season in 2007 before falling to Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
Under coach June Jones, the air raid attack in Hawaii flourished with Brennan in command. He threw 131 touchdowns over three seasons as a starter, but the 2006 campaign is above the rest; Brennan threw 58 touchdowns (the second most in a single season) at 9.9 yards per attempt and a completion percentage of 72.6 – and 5,549 passing yards. He finished sixth in the Heisman poll that year and third behind Tim Tebow and Darren McFadden in 2007.
Brennan’s 70.4% career completion percentage is the all-time best in the Division I ranks (minimum 875 attempts), while her three seasons with more than 4,000 passing yards and count of games of 400 or more passing yards (20) are tied for most of all times.
Originally from Southern California, Brennan joined the team at the University of Colorado in 2003, but was kicked from the team this offseason following an incident that led to his conviction for burglary and trespassing ( a guilty verdict for illegal sexual contact was overturned).
Brennan has always maintained her innocence, writing in a recent Instagram caption for an April 13 post. He landed at Saddleback Junior College before Jones offered him a walking spot in Hawaii.
Washington selected Brennan in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft, but he never appeared in an NFL game. He was arrested at least three times between 2012 and 20 following incidents usually involving alcohol.
“I’ve been through a lot in my life,” Brennan began in the Instagram post. “I was a convicted felon for a crime I never committed, (past the polygraph and everything). I captured all the dreams I had in my childhood. I was drafted into the league only to undergo 2 knee surgeries and 2 hip surgeries. I hit my 3rd year in the NFL, only to wake up from a coma with a head injury as a passenger in a car crash. I struggled with drug and alcohol abuse, and eventually developed blood clots years after the car accident. ”
Brent Brennan, Colt’s first cousin, is currently the head coach of San Jose State University.