text: Denver Broncos player Kenny McKinley, University of South Carolina’s all-time leader in receptions and regarded as one of the best players in program history, was found dead in his Denver home this evening. 
   
   Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson said authorities were called to McKinley’s home in Centennial on today and found his body in the second-floor master bedroom. He said detectives believe McKinley died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. 
   
   AP 
   
   McKinley played at USC from 2005-08 and is the career leader in receptions (207), receiving yards (2,781) and consecutive games with a reception (43). He was drafted by the Broncos in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL draft. 
   
   “It’s hard to comprehend,” USC coach Steve Spurrier said. “Kenny was one of my favorite all-time players. … Wonderful guy. It’s hard to figure how or why it happened. 
   
   “It’s a sad day, a sad day.” 
   
   McKinley attended USC’s game at Georgia last weekend and spoke with athletics director Eric Hyman. 
   
   “I cannot believe this. I’m sick to my stomach,” Hyman said. “He was such a great kid. 
   
   “He was upbeat, positive, happy-go-lucky,” Hyman said of McKinley’s demeanor during their conversation. “Every time you were around him, he had a smile on his face. He was just real positive.” 
   
   Carolina Panthers rookie defensive end Eric Norwood played three years with McKinley at USC. Norwood said he saw McKinley in Atlanta over the summer and did not sense his former teammate was having problems despite his injury woes. McKinley injured his knee halfway through last season and didn’t return; he was placed on injured reserve this season, meaning he wouldn’t have played. 
   
   “I never thought anything of that nature with him, even when he got hurt,” Norwood said. “He was energetic, and he had a positive outlook on things. 
   
   “I was just with him this summer … (he was) like the same old Kenny, give everybody a smile.” 
   
   McKinley played eight games on special teams last season with the Broncos, returning seven kicks for 158 yards and three punts for 32 yards. 
   
   An NFL source told The Denver Post that McKinley had been in Atlanta visiting family recently but had returned to Denver on Sunday. 
   
   He is survived by a young son. 
   
   “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,” Denver coach Josh McDaniels said in a statement tonight; he is scheduled to hold a news conference at 2 p.m. today. “This is a tragic loss for our football team, and his family is in all of our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.” 
   
   “Everyone with the Broncos is shocked and saddened by the loss of Kenny McKinley,” Broncos owner Pat Bowlen said. “He was part of the Broncos’ family and will be greatly missed by our organization. My most heartfelt condolences go out to Kenny’s family and friends.” 
   
   Josh Kendall, Neil White, Ron Morris, Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer, The Associated Press and the Denver Post contributed to this report. ||||| 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. 
   
   The Broncos will hold a full team meeting Tuesday at Dove Valley to discuss McKinley's death. Grief counselors will be available at the facility for any players who want help. 
   
   "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," coach Josh McDaniels said in a statement Monday night. "This is a tragic loss for our football team, and his family is in all of our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time." 
   
   An NFL source told The Denver Post that McKinley had been in Atlanta visiting family recently but had returned to Denver on Sunday along with his young son. 
   
   "Kenny, he had a big heart, a love for life. It's just very shocking," said Andrew Bondarowicz, McKinley's agent. "I'm really at a loss for words." 
   
   McKinley finished his collegiate career at the University of South Carolina as the school's career leader in receptions and receiving yards. But he was never able to match his college success in his brief NFL career, in part because of injuries. His second stint on the injured reserve had been particularly difficult. 
   
   "It's a difficult situation, you go from being a super star in college and his pro career has been a challenge," Bondarowicz said. "These guys, they're made of steel on the outside, but for a lot of them, the challenge of being at your best and living up to all the expectations is a difficult situation. Some people are better equipped and have the support system." 
   
   McKinley was also recently in Columbia, S.C., where he watched his alma mater play the University of Georgia on Sept. 11. McKinley holds the South Carolina school records for receptions and receiving yards. He was announced to the crowd at Williams-Brice Stadium and received a large applause. 
   
   "I saw him here. He came to the Georgia game. He seemed in good spirits," South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier told The Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier Monday night. "He had a great smile, like he always had. I don't understand it, if happened the way they say. It's hard to comprehend. 
   
   "Kenny was certainly one of my favorite all-time players," Spurrier added. "He was one of them. He was a wonderful guy. It's hard to figure out how, or why, this happened. He's one of my all-time favorites — everything about him. He had a wonderful smile. It's a sad day." 
   
   Broncos owner Pat Bowlen said in a statement: 
   
   Flowers were left at the Arapahoe County home of Broncos receiver Kenny McKinley on Monday. (John Leyba, The Denver Post ) 
   
   "Everyone with the Broncos is shocked and saddened by the loss of Kenny McKinley. He was part of the Broncos' family and will be greatly missed by our organization. My most heartfelt condolences go out to Kenny's family and friends." 
   
   McKinley is the third active Broncos player to die in the past four years. Running back Damien Nash, 24, collapsed and died after a charity basketball game in December 2007. And cornerback Darrent Williams, 24, was killed in a drive-by shooting on New Year's Day 2007 in Denver. 
   
   Kenny McKinley bio 
   
   Age: 23 
   
   Dimensions: 6-feet, 183 pounds 
   
   College: South Carolina 
   
   Drafted: Fifth round by Denver (141st overall) in the 2009 draft 
   
   NFL highlights: 
   
   Second-year wide receiver who played eight games with the Broncos as a rookie in 2009 
   
   Returned seven kickoffs for 158 yards (22.6 avg.) along with three punts for 32 yards (10.7 avg.) — the only rookie in the NFL to average at least 22 yards on kickoff returns and 10 yards on punt returns in 2009 College highlights: 
   
   Started his final three seasons at the University of South Carolina 
   
   Earned first-team All-Southeastern Conference honors as a junior in 2007 and honorable mention all-conference accolades as a senior in 2008 
   
   Finished his career at South Carolina with 207 receptions and 2,781 receiving yards
target: – Denver Broncos wide receiver Kenny McKinley has been found dead at his home from what police believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The 23-year-old athlete, who had been on the team's injured reserve list since early August with a knee injury, had recently returned from a visit to family in Atlanta with his young son, an NFL source tells the the Denver Post. McKinley had also recently been in South Carolina, where he was the Gamecocks' all-time leading receiver. "Kenny was certainly one of my favorite all-time players,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier told the Post and Courier. “He was one of them. He was a wonderful guy. It’s hard to figure out how, or why, this happened." McKinley is the third active Broncos player to die in the last four years.