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SCRIPPS RANCH: Ex-charger dies in crash
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SCRIPPS RANCH -- Former Chargers safety Terrence Kiel died Friday night following a solo-vehicle crash in Scripps Ranch, authorities said.
Kiel was alone in his 2004 Chevrolet sedan about 10:15 p.m., speeding on Stoneridge Parkway, when, for unknown reasons, the car hit a curb and struck a retaining wall, throwing Kiel from the car, San Diego Police Sgt. Kerry Tom said.
The 27-year-old San Diego resident was breathing shallowly when paramedics arrived but was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:08 p.m., the county medical examiners office said.
Traffic investigators and an autopsy should help determine what led to the crash, Tom said. The results of an autopsy were expected Saturday afternoon, the medical examiner's office said.
Prior to his untimely death, Kiel had faced a string of legal troubles that put him in the spotlight and contributed to the end of this NFL career.
He was released by the Chargers shortly after pleading guilty to a felony drug charge in February 2007. In September 2006, Drug Enforcement Administration officials arrested the player in the Charger's locker room after an investigation showed he had shipped several boxes of Codeine-based cough syrup to his home state of Texas.
Kiel had another brush with the law in which he was cited for urinating outside a downtown San Diego club, but the city later dropped the case.
Kiel was a second-round draft pick in 2003 out of Texas A&M. In his four seasons with the Bolts, he started 50 games, was involved in 217 tackles and intercepted four passes.
No other National Football League team signed Kiel following his release by the Chargers.
Just three months after being drafted by the Chargers, he was shot three times in an attempted carjacking in Houston. He recovered and played in all 16 games that season.
Kiel is survived by his parents, Regina and Grose Kiel, who live in Lufkin, Texas, the medical examiner's office said.
Wire services contributed to this report.
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sharon wrote on Jul 5, 2008 6:41 PM:i fill so bad for terrance and his family it seem to me that he was a troubled young man that was trying hard to make it but just couldn't get it together my heart goes out to his family
Greg wrote on Jul 5, 2008 8:15 PM:I hope you are kidding Sharon.
Being a big Chargers fan, I have followed his career very close. I was nothing but a thug.
Don wrote on Jul 6, 2008 7:32 AM:Greg, Do you mean "death to all thugs"?
I am an old man now, but once would have been considered a thug too. I am glad yo have survived that part of my life as I now am a Phd. counseling in substance abuse. My heart also goes out to the family for their loss. A human being lost his life because he wasn't able to get a handle on himself. We as a society have not done all we can to help our young people deal with lifes problems. So sad!
Helping Society wrote on Jul 6, 2008 1:58 PM:Don...Why are you blaming society for not doing enough...People make choices, (drive drunk, use drugs) and when those choices result in death, too bad ! Yes they are mistakes, but they are choices resultng in mistakes. We have moved to placing blame on "anybody" rather than the individual who was responsible for the choice! Society shouldn't be blamed. Own UP !
Sad situation wrote on Jul 9, 2008 8:42 AM:I have to agree with "Helping Society". My younger brother passed away in Dec 2006 due to a car accident when he was drinking and driving. It was, and still is, an extremely difficult loss to deal with, but I have never blamed anyone but him. He made a choice, a bad choice, to drink and drive many times and it caught up with him that night. The only good part of the story is that there were no other cars involved and no innocent victims, just as in this case. My heart goes out to this family, and in no way did he deserve to die, but it is nobody's fault but his own (if he was in fact intoxicated).
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