Colton James Brennan (August 16, 1983 – May 11, 2021) was an American
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
for the
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, where he was a two-time, third-team
All-American before being selected by the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL) in the sixth round of the
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft was the 73rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 26 and April 27, ...
.
With Hawaii in 2006, Brennan threw the second-most passing
touchdown
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...
s in one season in
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
Division I history with 58. He holds several other NCAA Division I FBS records.
Early years
Brennan attended
Mater Dei High School in
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. He helped Mater Dei advance to the league championship in basketball as a senior. While at Mater Dei, he was the backup quarterback to
Matt Leinart
Matthew Stephen Leinart (born May 11, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football at USC, where he won the Heisman Trophy ...
until Leinart graduated.
After graduating from Mater Dei, Brennan attended
Worcester Academy
Worcester Academy is a private school in Worcester, Massachusetts. It is the oldest educational institution founded in the city of Worcester, Massachusetts, and one of the oldest day-boarding schools in the United States. A coeducational prepara ...
in Massachusetts for a postgraduate year, where his primary receiver was
David Ball, who later would break
Jerry Rice
Jerry Lee Rice (born October 13, 1962) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. Known primarily as a member of the San Francisco 49ers, winning three championshi ...
's college record for touchdown receptions in
Division I-AA
The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision. Sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic ...
.
College career
University of Colorado
Brennan originally attended the
University of Colorado
The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Co ...
in 2002 as a walk-on. He spent the year as a
redshirt
Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi
* Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after b ...
.
On January 28, 2004, Brennan entered the dorm room of a female CU student, uninvited, and, according to the victim, "exposed himself and fondled her," a charge which Brennan denied. Brennan, who was intoxicated at the time of the incident, was arrested and eventually convicted of charges of felony burglary and
trespassing
Trespass is an area of tort law broadly divided into three groups: trespass to the person, trespass to chattels, and trespass to land.
Trespass to the person historically involved six separate trespasses: threats, assault, battery, wounding, ...
(serving one week in jail along with probation until he graduated from college), but a guilty verdict for unlawful sexual contact was vacated by the court for lack of evidence.
Brennan was court ordered to take a
polygraph test
A polygraph, often incorrectly referred to as a lie detector test, is a device or procedure that measures and records several physiological indicators such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity while a person is asked an ...
about the incident and passed. He later showed those results to Saddleback College President Richard McCullough.
After the incident, which occurred during a period of time when CU was experiencing accusations of sex crimes and wild recruiting parties involving several athletes, he was kicked off the team.
Saddleback College
Brennan then transferred to
Saddleback College
Saddleback College (Saddleback) is a public community college in Mission Viejo, California. It is part of the California Community College system and awards over 300 associate degrees, academic certificates, and occupational skills awards in 19 ...
in California in 2004 and helped lead the school to a conference championship. He was named honorable mention JUCO All-America, state offensive player of the year by the JuCal Transfer, and first-team all-conference for his performance in that season. He repaired his image well enough for the
University of Hawaii
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...
head coach
June Jones
June Sheldon Jones III (born February 19, 1953) is an American football coach and former player who is currently the Offensive Coordinator of the Seattle Sea Dragons. Jones was the head football coach at the University of Hawaii at Manoa from 19 ...
to offer him a walk-on opportunity. Looking to put some distance between himself and his past problems and interested in Jones' quarterback knowledge, Brennan accepted the offer and turned down an offer from
San Jose State
San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...
.
University of Hawaii
2005
Brennan joined Hawaii in 2005 and quickly earned the starting quarterback job. He started 10 of 12 games, the only games he did not start being against
USC
USC most often refers to:
* University of South Carolina, a public research university
** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses
**South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program
* University of ...
and
San Diego State
San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...
. He either tied or broke 11 school offensive records in what was a successful first season with the
Rainbow Warriors. He led the country in total offense yards (4,455) and touchdowns thrown (35). His 4,301 yards passing is the eighth-most in
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington (state), Washington, and Texa ...
(WAC) history. Against
New Mexico State
New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a public land-grant research university based primarily in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest public institution of higher education in New Mexico and one of the state's tw ...
, he recorded career-high numbers in passing yards (515), touchdowns (7), and pass completions (38). He also had nine 300+ yard performances on the season, including four 400+ yard games and a 515-yard performance.
2006
Brennan entered
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
as the undisputed starter at quarterback, was named to multiple award watch lists and was voted the WAC's preseason Offensive Player of the Year. He led the nation in scoring and
passing efficiency
Passer rating (also known as passing efficiency in college football) is a measure of the performance of passers, primarily quarterbacks, in gridiron football. There are two formulas currently in use: one used by both the National Football Leagu ...
, finishing the regular season with a 182.8 rating, and completed 72.15% of his passes, the best in Division I-A.
During the regular season, Brennan passed for 53 touchdowns, falling 1 touchdown pass short of the NCAA Division I-A single-season record (set in 1990 by
David Klingler
David Ryan Klingler (born February 17, 1969) is an associate professor of Bible exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary and a former American football quarterback.
College career
A 6-foot, 2-inch quarterback, Klingler rewrote numerous college p ...
of
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
). On December 24, 2006, at the
Hawaii Bowl
The Hawaiʻi Bowl is a college football bowl game that has been played in the Honolulu, Hawaii area since 2002. The game was originally held at Aloha Stadium in Halawa, Hawaii, a suburb of Honolulu, before moving to the Clarence T. C. Ching Athle ...
, Brennan threw for five touchdowns to break the record. (Statistics accumulated during the postseason now count towards records.) The team finished the season with an 11–3 record, finishing second in the WAC behind
Boise State.
Brennan finished 6th in the voting for the 2006
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
, behind
Troy Smith
Troy James Smith (born July 20, 1984) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Ohio State, was recognized as an All-American, and won the Heisman Trophy in 2006. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the fi ...
,
Darren McFadden
Darren McFadden (born August 27, 1987) is a former American football running back. He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the first round with the fourth overall pick of the 2008 NFL Dra ...
,
Brady Quinn
Brayden Tyler "Brady" Quinn (born October 27, 1984) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football at Notre Dame, where he won the Maxwell Award, and w ...
,
Steve Slaton
Steve Slaton (born January 4, 1986) is a former American football running back. He played college football for West Virginia University, and earned consensus All-American honors. He was chosen by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 200 ...
, and
Mike Hart. During the season, Brennan passed for 5,549 yards and 58 touchdowns, both of which are
school records, and had the highest passer efficiency rating in the nation. According to Jones, "Colt is a money guy. Colt is what I said he is: the best college quarterback in America, and he proved it tonight." During a press conference on January 17, Brennan announced that he was returning to the University of Hawaii for his senior season. He didn't feel he was fully prepared for the
NFL and needed another year to get ready. He returned to Hawaii as a Heisman front runner and one of the NCAA's most prolific passers. ''
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel.
History
Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
'' named him one of the top-10 quarterbacks going into the 2007 season.
2007
On November 23, 2007, he broke the major college career record for touchdown passes, throwing five touchdown passes against then No. 17
Boise State. He threw the record-breaking 122nd in the first quarter, a six-yard touchdown pass to
Ryan Grice-Mullen to surpass the mark set by former
BYU
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...
quarterback
Ty Detmer
Ty Hubert Detmer (born October 30, 1967) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He won the Heisman Trophy in 1990 while playing college football for the BYU Cougars. Detme ...
in 1991. With the pass, Brennan also broke Detmer's record for the player responsible for the most touchdowns with 136.
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
beat
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
35–28 in the final game of the regular season to finish with a 12–0 record, finishing the 2007 season ranked No. 10 on the''
AP Top 25
The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broadca ...
'', earning a bid to 2007 BCS
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed onl ...
against the No. 5 ranked
Georgia Bulldogs
The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The female athletic teams are sometimes referred to as Lady Bulldogs. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference ( ...
.
The Sugar Bowl turned out to be a one-sided affair, as Georgia defeated Hawaii 41–10. Brennan completed 22-of-38 for 169 yards, while throwing three
interception
In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...
s. Throughout the game, Georgia was able to effectively apply pressure rushing only three
defensive line
In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numb ...
men, allowing Georgia to drop eight men into coverage.
This game cost Brennan the all-time passer efficiency rating that he held prior to the game. He was later quoted as saying, "This is not how I wanted my career to end." He finished the season with 38 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Brennan was selected for the second year in a row as a Heisman trophy finalist, this time finishing in third place behind
Tim Tebow and
Darren McFadden
Darren McFadden (born August 27, 1987) is a former American football running back. He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the first round with the fourth overall pick of the 2008 NFL Dra ...
. At the end of the season, he was invited to participate in the
2008 Senior Bowl
The 2008 Senior Bowl was a college football exhibition game featuring players from the 2007 college football season and prospects in the 2008 NFL Draft. The 59th edition of the Senior Bowl was played on January 26, 2008, at 3 p.m. EST at Ladd– ...
, where he suffered a torn labrum in his right hip during the first day of practice. He still managed to play in the game.
June Jones
June Jones
June Sheldon Jones III (born February 19, 1953) is an American football coach and former player who is currently the Offensive Coordinator of the Seattle Sea Dragons. Jones was the head football coach at the University of Hawaii at Manoa from 19 ...
, Brennan's coach at Hawaii, had a large impact upon his career and helped him become one of the most prolific passers in NCAA Division 1 history. In a short January 6, 2008 interview Brennan said of Jones: "He's obviously done a lot for me because he gave me a chance and that's really what I was looking for... He really gave me the confidence to take my game to the next level and give me the confidence to play like an
All-American." Jones was instrumental in bringing Brennan to Hawaii during his sophomore year.
Awards and honors
* 2x First-team All-
WAC (2006–2007)
* 2x WAC Offensive P.O.Y. (2006–2007)
* 2x Third-team AP
All-America
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
n (
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
–
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
)
* 2x
O'Brien Award finalist (2006)
*
Sammy Baugh Trophy
The Touchdown Club of Columbus was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1956 by Sam B. Nicola at the request of state auditor James A. Rhodes, who later became governor of the state. Nicola served as the club's president until his death in 1993. More ...
(2006)
*
Unitas Golden Arm Award finalist (2007)
*
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
finalist (2007)
Records
* Second all-time in most career touchdowns responsible for (146). Achieved November 23, 2007.
* NCAA record for most 400 yard games (20).
* Tied NCAA record for most career touchdown passes by a quarterback-receiver combination (39 to
Davone Bess
Davone Atrayo Bess (born September 13, 1985) is a former American football wide receiver. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Hawaii.
Early years
Bess attended Skyline High Scho ...
). Achieved November 23, 2007.
* Former record for passing efficiency (season), 186.0 (2006).
* NCAA record for most points responsible (for season) with 384. (2006)
* Second all-time for highest pass completion percentage (career) with 70.4%. This record was eclipsed by Dan Persa during the 2011 season.
* Fourth all-time in career touchdown passes with 131, a former record.
* Sixth all-time in total passing yards with 14,193.
College statistics
Professional career
Washington Redskins
Brennan was drafted by the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
in the
sixth round (186th overall) of the
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft was the 73rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 26 and April 27, ...
. He was the 10th quarterback selected in the draft. On July 14, he signed a four-year, $1.8 million contract.
Brennan appeared in his first
NFL preseason
The National Football League preseason is the period each year during which NFL teams play several not-for-the-record exhibition games before the actual "regular" season starts. Beginning with the featured Pro Football Hall of Fame game in early ...
game in the 2008
Hall of Fame Game, against the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
on August 3. He was impressive in his debut, completing 9-of-10 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns for a 157.5
passer rating
Passer rating (also known as passing efficiency in college football) is a measure of the performance of passers, primarily quarterbacks, in gridiron football. There are two formulas currently in use: one used by both the National Football Leag ...
in the Redskins' victory. Brennan's success continued two weeks later against the
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
when he completed 4-of-5 passes for 79 yards and threw the game-winning touchdown on a 33-yard pass to wide receiver
Jason Goode. He led all 2008 NFL rookies through the preseason in touchdown passes (three), passing yards (411), and
quarterback rating
Passer rating (also known as passing efficiency in college football) is a measure of the performance of passers, primarily quarterbacks, in gridiron football. There are two formulas currently in use: one used by both the National Football Leagu ...
(109.9). He went 36-for-53 with no interceptions for a completion percentage of 67.9%. He also carried the ball twice for 11 yards. He saw no game time in the regular season.
Brennan was placed on
injured reserve
The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...
on September 4, 2009, thus ending his
2009 season, due to a torn hamstring and a hip injury. The hip injury was similar to one he suffered while in college at Hawaii and required surgery. On August 2, 2010, the Redskins traded for
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
quarterback
John Beck, thus making Brennan expendable. He was subsequently released.
Oakland Raiders
On August 7, 2010, Brennan signed with the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
. He was cut on September 4, never having played a regular season game in the NFL.
Hartford Colonials
On June 3, 2011, Brennan signed with the
Hartford Colonials
The Hartford Colonials, originally the New York Sentinels, were a professional American football team that played in the United Football League in its 2009 and 2010 seasons. A charter member of the UFL, the Sentinels began play in 2009 nominally ...
in the
United Football League for the 2011 season.
The league suspended operations of the Colonials on August 10, 2011. Brennan was not selected by any of the four remaining UFL teams in a dispersal draft held on August 15, 2011.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
On February 28, 2012, Brennan signed with the
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division.
The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...
of the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
. The announcement was widely reported online and attracted widespread attention in its aftermath. Although he was expected to be the backup, the Roughriders later signed former NFL
journeyman
A journeyman, journeywoman, or journeyperson is a worker, skilled in a given building trade or craft, who has successfully completed an official apprenticeship qualification. Journeymen are considered competent and authorized to work in that fie ...
J. T. O'Sullivan
John Thomas O'Sullivan (born August 25, 1979) is an American former professional gridiron football quarterback who played nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL), two seasons in NFL Europe and one season in the Canadian Football Leagu ...
, pushing Brennan down in the depth chart. Brennan was released on June 11, 2012.
Los Angeles Kiss
On October 29, 2013, Brennan was assigned to the
Los Angeles Kiss of the
Arena Football League
The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...
. However, he was cut by the Kiss on March 8, 2014 after being diagnosed with a brain injury resulting from a 2010 car crash (see below). Brennan's experience with the Kiss became the focus of the first episode of ''
4th and Loud'', a
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
series about the team.
Personal life
Brennan was a
communications
Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...
major. On December 16, 2007, Brennan received his
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
in communications and a 27-second standing ovation. Hawaii-based venture capitalist Barry Weinman wore Brennan's No. 15 jersey while delivering the commencement address at the 2007 graduation.
His cousin
Brent Brennan
Brent Munger Brennan (born March 20, 1973) is an American football coach. He is the head football coach at San Jose State University.
Early life and education
Brennan was born and raised in Redwood City, California, and attended Saint Francis ...
is a college football coach who has been the head coach at
San Jose State
San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...
since 2017.
On November 19, 2010, Brennan was hospitalized and listed in serious condition after he was a passenger in a car crash in the
Big Island of Hawai'i. The accident left him with a
traumatic brain injury
A traumatic brain injury (TBI), also known as an intracranial injury, is an injury to the brain caused by an external force. TBI can be classified based on severity (ranging from mild traumatic brain injury TBI/concussionto severe traumatic b ...
, broken ribs and collar bone, which according to his family affected him emotionally in the following years.
He was released from
Queen's Medical Center
The Queen's Medical Center, originally named and still commonly referred to as Queen's Hospital, is the largest private non-profit hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii. The institution was founded in 1859 by Queen Emma and King Kamehameha IV, and i ...
on November 27, 2010 and headed to his parents' home in Southern California to continue his recovery. He described his injuries in 2014:
Legal issues
Brennan was arrested on July 25, 2012, in
Kailua, Honolulu County, Hawaii
Kailua () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States. It lies in the Koolaupoko District of the island of Oahu on the windward coast at Kailua Bay. It is in the judicial district and the ahupua'a named Ko'ol ...
, on suspicion of
driving under the influence
Driving under the influence (DUI)—also called driving while impaired, impaired driving, driving while intoxicated (DWI), drunk driving, operating while intoxicated (OWI), operating under the influence (OUI), operating vehicle under the infl ...
and third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug.
His
blood-alcohol level was 0.17percent, more than twice the legal limit for driving a vehicle. He was released the next day without charges.
In August 2012, Brennan was charged with drunken driving, but he was not charged for cocaine residue found in a plastic packet in the car. Despite entering a not guilty plea in November 2012, Brennan pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol on July 31, 2013, and he paid a $300 fine.
In 2015, Brennan allegedly filed a false police report that his vehicle was stolen, something his attorney blamed on memory problems stemming from his 2010 car crash injuries. Charges were later dropped.
On December 10, 2019, Brennan was arrested once again for operating a vehicle under the influence in
Kaneohe
Kāneohe () is a census-designated place (CDP) included in the City and County of Honolulu and located in Hawaii state District of Koolaupoko on the island of Oahu. In the Hawaiian language, ''kāne ohe'' means "bamboo man". According to an a ...
.
On August 1, 2020, Brennan was arrested for trespassing and refusing to leave a hotel in
Kailua-Kona
Kailua-Kona is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. It is also known as Kailua (a name it shares with a community located on the windward side of Oahu), as Kona (a name it shares ...
while "heavily intoxicated". He was charged with second-degree trespassing; bail was set at $250, but he remained in jail until his hearing several days later. The judge granted his lawyer's request for court-supervised release without bail until his next scheduled court appearance later that month.
Death
On May 10, 2021, Brennan was found unconscious at a hotel room after ingesting
fentanyl
Fentanyl, also spelled fentanil, is a very potent synthetic opioid used as a pain medication. Together with other drugs, fentanyl is used for anesthesia. It is also used illicitly as a recreational drug, sometimes mixed with heroin, cocaine ...
. He was hospitalized in
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island, Newport ...
, and died the following day, at age 37. With his father's assistance, Brennan had attempted to enter a detox center at
Hoag Hospital
Hoag is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Arthur Hoag (1921–1999), American astronomer
* Bob Hoag, American record producer and songwriter
*Charles Hoag (1808–1888), American scholar and teacher; first school master of Minn ...
in Newport Beach hours before ingesting fentanyl, but the hospital eventually turned him away because there were no open beds available, and the hospital had failed to contact Brennan's father despite promising to call him back.
In the immediate aftermath of his death, many released statements mourning his death. Hawaii governor
David Ige
David Yutaka Ige (; born January 15, 1957) is an American politician and engineer who served as the eighth governor of Hawaii from 2014 to 2022. A Democrat, he served in the Hawaii State Senate from 1995 to 2014 and the Hawaii House of Represen ...
said of Brennan: “He will always be remembered for his brilliance, his leadership and how he and his team brought the people of Hawaii together during that exciting and memorable 2007 season.”
Hawaii football legend Colt Brennan, who led an unforgettable era for UH, dies at 37
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On February 25, 2022, a further investigation revealed that Brennan had Stage 1 CTE. In addition, there were multiple substances in his system which featured ethanol, methamphetamines, amphetamines, and fentanyl in the autopsy report.
See also
* List of NCAA Division I FBS career passing yards leaders
* List of NCAA Division I FBS career passing touchdowns leaders
The NCAA Division I FBS passing leaders are career, single-season, and single-game passing leaders in yards, touchdowns, efficiency, completions, completion percentage, and interception percentage. These lists are dominated by more recent players ...
* List of NCAA major college football yearly passing leaders
The list of college football yearly passing and total offense leaders identifies the major college passing leaders for each season from 1937 to the present. It includes yearly leaders in three statistical categories: (1) passing yardage; (2) pass ...
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References
External links
Washington Redskins profile
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1983 births
2021 deaths
American football quarterbacks
American players of Canadian football
Canadian football quarterbacks
Hartford Colonials players
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football players
Los Angeles Kiss players
Oakland Raiders players
Players of American football from California
Saddleback Gauchos football players
Saskatchewan Roughriders players
Sportspeople from Orange County, California
University of Colorado alumni
Washington Redskins players
Drug-related deaths in California