Former A&M and Chargers safety Terrance Kiel dead at 27

RIP...

Kiel dies in car accident

Former Texas A&M and San Diego Chargers safety Terrance Kiel, 27, was killed late Friday night after he was ejected from the 2004 Chevy sedan he was driving outside of San Diego.

Kiel, a Lufkin High School graduate, was driving alone after leaving a party about 10:15 p.m. Friday when he hit a wall in Scripps Ranch, an exclusive neighborhood outside San Diego.

Witnesses — who according to police had tried to keep Kiel from driving from the party — said it appeared he was driving in the wrong direction.

According to San Diego Police Sgt. Alan Hayward, Kiel was thrown from the vehicle and was barely breathing when paramedics arrived. He was pronounced dead at the scene an hour later after attempts to revive him failed.

"Terrence had been through a difficult ride over the last couple of years, but he was putting forth a tremendous effort to put his life together," said Vann McElroy, Kiel's agent.

McElroy said Kiel was to have met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell last Thursday about a possible reinstatement to the game after he had pleaded guilty to felony and misdemeanor drug charges for shipping prescription cough syrup in February 2007.

The syrup was to apparently be mixed with soda to form a drink known as "lean."

"What Terrence did was wrong, but he blamed no one but himself," McElroy said. "It's a very tragic thing to happen, especially when he was trying so hard to put his life back in order. Our hearts go out to his family and friends."

McElroy said Kiel — who was released by the Chargers in February, 2007 — was optimistic about his return to the NFL, where he played four seasons with the Chargers after he was selected in the second round of the 2003 draft.

Kiel remained in the San Diego area, where he did community service and was serving a three-year probation at the time of his death.

Toxicology tests will determine whether Kiel was under the influence of either drugs or alcohol, authorities said.

"This is a sad day for the Texas A&M family," said A&M associate director of media relations Alan Cannon.

Kiel endured several brushes with the law, including a 2003 carjacking in Houston in which he was shot three times. He also was arrested on suspicion of public urination outside a San Diego nightclub last year, but those charges were dropped.

Kiel appeared in 59 games for the Chargers, starting in 51. His best season was 2004, when he recorded 97 tackles and two interceptions as San Diego won the AFC West title. He recorded his first career sack in a 27-20 win over the Texans in the 2004 season opener.

Kiel was a key member of Lufkin's 1998 team that advanced to the Class 5A Region II finals. He enrolled at A&M the following year, and he played all four seasons in the Aggies' secondary, finishing his career with 253 tackles.

He led the team with four interceptions in 2000 while earning a reputation as one of the hardest hitters in the Big 12.

"Terrence certainly wasn't afraid of putting a lick on a ballcarrier," said Cannon.

"He was the typical Texas A&M safety," said McElroy of Kiel.

Services are pending with Colonial Mortuary in Lufkin. Cannon also said the Aggies will discuss plans to honor Kiel.