Colt Brennan was a star quarterback for the University of Hawaii back in 2005-2007 when the program was at its peak!
After his success at the college level, his life went downhill as he struggled in the NFL, and then was injured in a car accident, and had several drug-related arrests.
And then on May 11 of this year, Colt Brennan died at the age of 37. He was found unconscious a few days earlier at a drug rehab facility.
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Colt Brennan grew up in what many assume would be a path to any easy life. He was raised in the luxurious Orange County. He attended a private school where he was a backup to a future Heisman winner Matt Leinart. He was recruited to play for the University of Colorado.
It was at Colorado where his path to glory hit a major roadblock. He was accused of entering a female student's dorm room without permission and sexually assaulting her. This was in Feburary 2004.
http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_13056301 (note: even though the website said the article was from 2009, I had a printed copy of the article that stated it was originally published on 02/03/2004)
A University of Colorado football player was arrested Monday after police said he barged into a female student’s dorm room and forced himself on her.
Colt Brennan, 20, faces possible felony burglary charges and misdemeanor charges of unlawful sexual contact and false imprisonment following an incident just after midnight Wednesday in Farrand Hall.
The redshirt freshman quarterback was dismissed from the team Friday after a meeting about the allegations with coach Gary Barnett.
Brennan walked into the woman’s room uninvited with an erect penis showing out of his pants, lay on her bed and told her: “Come here, let’s play,” according to an arrest report.
Brennan was visibly drunk, the woman told police, and he tried to get her to touch him. She declined and told him to leave, but he didn’t and instead pushed her to the bed and began fondling her under her clothes, the report said.
The woman told police she could not move him off of her because he was “too big and too strong.” Then a friend of the woman’s walked in, and she was able to escape, the report said.
Brennan told police he drank about six or seven beers before visiting the woman’s room. He said he knocked, and entered when she said to, police reported.
He denied touching her but admitted to having his penis exposed for “several seconds,” the report said.
Brennan told authorities he was embarrassed about the whole thing, and that was why he began leaving notes and phone messages for the woman asking why the police had to get involved.
Brennan arrived at the Boulder County Jail on Monday afternoon with his father to be booked. His bond will be set today at a 2 p.m. hearing.
Brennan was later convicted of trespassing but acquitted of sexual assault. He was given a light sentence of a week in jail and 3 years on probation. But the damage was done. He was expelled from the University of Colorado, and it seemed that his football career was over. However, Saddleback College (a community college in California) was willing to give him a second chance and he enrolled for a year & played for the team.
While watching a video of another player on the Saddleback's team, the University of Hawaii's coaches were fascinated by what they saw from Colt Brennan!
Hawaii's then-football coach June Jones already had a reputation for revitalizing the football program, coaching a pass-happy offense as well as giving second chances to players with a troubling past. He already had success with Pisa Tinoisamoa, a linebacker with an assault conviction from high school! At the same time Jones was recruiting Brennan, he was also recruiting Davone Bess who was convicted of theft right after graduating high school. Jones defended his choices to recruit those players in the name of social justice and rehabilitating young men who could use a second chance.
Though to be real, no team in the #metoo era would want someone with allegations that Colt Brennan had.
Colt Brennan had a lot to prove on and off the field when he joined the UH team in 2005. The previous year's QB, Timmy Chang, just graduated! The starting position was up for grabs. But more importantly, Colt Brennan needed to prove that his second chance wasn't wasted on him. This was magnified by the fact that this would be the first time in his life where he was a minority. In Hawaii, European-Americans from the continent have to really put in the effort to earn the trust of the local people! He can't mess it up by being a cocky privileged brat!
In the years he played for UH, he earned that trust! He gave credit to his teammates for his success! He learned the Polynesian culture. He spoke at juvenile detention facilities to tell his story of his troubled past. He signed autographs without hesitation.
While his 2005 season ended with a losing record (5-7), the 2006 season was a major success with an 11-3 record and a bowl game victory. Brennan was already being looked at as one of the top college QBs in the nation. There was even talk of NFL potential. There were rumors of him leaving college early for the chance to go pro.
Decisions, decisions. Does he leave early and take the money? Or does he stay for the chance to really do something special for Hawaii, like maybe go undefeated?
At a press conference, Brennan stated he will stay one more year at UH! He stated that he liked the person he was becoming in Hawaii. That statement really earned the trust and love of the local people! He was no longer the bad boy with the sketchy reputation from Colorado, he is now the humble soul who was transformed by his time in Hawaii.
He was the most popular guy on the islands. A lot of people wore his #15 jersey! He was hounded for autographs, even to the point where people were on campus waiting for him to leave class to beg for autographs.
The 2007 season was a very legendary time. The team went undefeated in the regular season, 12-0. The team was ready to be considered one of the big boys!
It was only 9 years earlier when UH went 0-12! Now, we're 12-0. We were ready to go to the next level, ready to be seen on the same level as Alabama, Ohio State, & Southern Cal. It was in the previous year (2006) when the once no-name Boise State shocked the world by defeating Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. Hawaii felt they were ready to do the same thing.
Hawaii was placed in the Sugar Bowl to play against Georgia. The excitement was in the air. We were about to make history! We were about to really earn the respect from the continent.
But it was not meant to be. Georgia's defense was too tough and too fast. Colt Brennan was sacked multiple times to the point where he was too shook to be effective. He was taken out of the game. Georgia won 41-14. It wasn't even close. So much for Hawaii being one of the big boys of college football. A sad ending for what otherwise was a legendary college career for Colt Brennan.
Brennan had his chance to play in the NFL. He was drafted by what was then called the Washington Redskins. He did OK in the preseason but remained a backup without playing time in the regular season. He also had a hip injury. He was later cut from the team. He did spend some time with the then Oakland Raiders, but that didn't last long. His NFL career was a bust.
In 2010, Colt Brennan was in a car accident on Hawaii's Big Island. His then-girlfriend was driving and crashed into another car. Brennan broke a few bones, got a concussion and blood clots.
Brennan still tried out for football's minor leagues, but couldn't pass the physical exams. He had to face the reality that his football-playing career is over.
However, Brennan was still involved in the game, this time as an assistant coach for high school football teams. He changed schools over the years, but the most well-known he was coaching at was Kahuku High School.
Sadly, he went back to getting in trouble with the law for various DUI incidents as well as causing a drunken disturbance at a hotel. Brennan has lost the trust & patience of Hawaii's people with all these incidents.
I even posted the following on Facebook after yet another DUI incident
Some people never learn! He's been getting DUI's many times already! We need to stop making excuses for him! Yes, he boosted Hawaii's spirits back when he was playing for UH, I've watched him play at the stadium and on TV. Those were fun times. But that was a decade ago! He's in his 30's, he needs to grow up already! He also needs to get a bus pass!
Brennan did attempt to deal with his drug & alcohol addictions by going in & out of rehab. It was in the last few days of his life when he was hospitalized for what was believed to be an overdose of fentanyl.
It was a tragic downfall for someone who at one point was on top of the world. I mean, what could be better than to be a star player in a tropical paradise with thousands cheering you on in the stadium, people wearing your number, and women coming up to him for selfies (I seen it happen at his college graduation, despite the allegations at Colorado). He was ready to go pro hoping to be the next Tom Brady.
But it wasn't meant to be!
We all face adversity. We all have to face the harsh reality after the times we felt on top of the world.
Brennan's life story is a cautionary tale, something we should share with the next generation. Many kids grow up with dreams of athletic stardom, some might even have moments of glory in the bright lights on game nights. However, not everyone makes it to the big time. But even the ones that do face their own struggles with real-life situations that no amount of stardom can erase. Even worse, many make stupid decisions in the heat of the moment that can have heavy consequences that last long after the game is over!
It is important that we teach the next generation that yes, you may pursue your passions, but you also have to take care of business, whether that means taking education seriously, refusing to take drugs/alcohol, and respecting other's boundaries. And most importantly, remain humble.
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articles on Colt Brennan
Articles published during his playing career
Pete Thamel, “After Brush with Law, Hawaii’s Brennan Seeks Redemption,” New York Times, August 26, 2007, https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/26/sports/ncaafootball/24colt.html.
Articles after his death
Stephen Tsai, “Star University of Hawaii Quarterback Colt Brennan Embodied Aloha,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, May 12, 2021, https://www.staradvertiser.com/2021/05/12/hawaii-news/star-uh-quarterback-colt-brennan-embodied-aloha/.
Stephen Tsai, “When Colt Brennan Said No to the Nfl and Yes to Returning to Hawaii Football Team, It Started an Unprecedented Mania,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, May 12, 2021, https://www.staradvertiser.com/2021/05/12/sports/when-colt-brennan-said-no-to-the-nfl-and-yes-to-returning-to-the-hawaii-football-team-it-started-a-mania-that-the-program-had-not-experienced-before/.
Maria Cramer, “Colt Brennan, Former University of Hawaii Star Quarterback, Dies at 37,” New York Times, May 12, 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/12/sports/ncaafootball/colt-brennan-death.html.
“Ex-Hawai'i Record-Setting Qb Colt Brennan Dead at 37,” ESPN, May 11, 2021, https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/31427087/ex-hawaii-record-setting-qb-colt-brennan-dead-37.
Mark Schlabach, “How Colt Brennan Helped Put Hawaii Football On the National Map,” ESPN, May 13, 2021, https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/31435607/how-colt-brennan-helped-put-hawaii-football-national-map.
Manolo Morales, “Colt Brennan’s Troubles Started After Car Crash On Hawaii Island,” KHON, May 11, 2021, https://www.khon2.com/local-news/colt-brennans-troubles-started-after-car-crash-on-hawaii-island.
“Ex-NFL QB Colt Brennan Dead at 37, Found Unconscious at Rehab Facility,” TMZ, May 11, 2021, https://www.tmz.com/2021/05/11/2006-heisman-finalist-colt-brennan-dead-at-37-hawaii-football-legend/.
Eric Stinton, “The Dangers of Hawaii's Warrior Spirit,” Honolulu Civil Beat, May 17, 2021, https://www.civilbeat.org/2021/05/eric-stinton-the-dangers-of-hawaiis-warrior-spirit/.
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Articles on Brenna's trouble with the law after his playing career was over
Leila Fujimori, “Former University of Hawaii Quarterback Colt Brennan Arrested On Suspicion of Dui,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, December 11, 2019, https://www.staradvertiser.com/2019/12/11/hawaii-news/former-university-of-hawaii-quarterback-colt-brennan-arrested-on-suspicion-of-dui/.
John Burnett, “‘Extremely Intoxicated’ Brennan Arrested Again,” Hawaii Tribune-Herald, November 23, 2020, https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2020/11/23/hawaii-news/extremely-intoxicated-brennan-arrested-again/.
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A video tribute to Colt Brennan from KHON2 News, titled "Colt Brennan allowed Hawaii to dream big"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGcR4OAmqDA
also this:
"Hawaii teammates recall Brennan's greatness, kindness"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAfgvql-WPQ
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And of course, here are some of my blog posts that mentioned Colt Brennan
blog posts from the era
https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2007/12/hawaii-warriors-triumph.html
https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2008/01/thoughts-on-sugar-bowl-and-uh-athletics.html
(note: this one about college athletes not getting paid, and I mentioned about how so many people wore Colt Brennan's #15 jersey and he didn't get paid for it.) https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/08/let-college-athletes-get-paid.html
