Broncos wide receiver Kenny McKinley was found dead Monday at his Colorado home in an apparent suicide, police said.
"It was apparently a suicide, but we're still investigating," Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson said.
Authorities were called to McKinley's home in central Centennial at about 3:25 p.m. Monday. McKinley's body was discovered in a second-floor bedroom with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The 23-year-old, second-year pro has been on the team's injured reserve list since early August with a knee injury. He played in eight games as a rookie in 2009, mostly on special teams, with seven kick returns for 158 yards. He suffered a season-ending knee injury in the second-to-last game
of last season and had surgery in the offseason.
Police were called after a woman discovered McKinley’s body after she returned home from running an errand with his child.
“It’s still part of our investigation and probably nothing we’ll talk about right now,” he said.
Kenny had been put on injured reserve after hurting his left knee in August for the second time in a year.
The Denver Broncos coach, Josh McDaniels said in a statement: “Kenny had a promising future on the football field, but more importantly, he was a great teammate whose smile and personality could light up the room. This is a tragic loss for our football team, and his family is in all of our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”