Former Hawaii QB great Colt Brennan had CTE at time of death
JAMM AQUINO / 2007
Colt Brennan finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2007.
LOS ANGELES >> Former Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan was found to have had Stage 1 chronic traumatic encephalopathy in a post-mortem examination, his family was told this week.
After his death in May 2021, Brennan’s brain was sent to the CTE Center at Boston University. The test results confirmed what his parents had suspected.
“We knew Colt was struggling,” said his father, Terry. “We just didn’t know everything. He certainly had his challenges. … This is just a piece of the puzzle, I guess.”
Brennan dealt with drug and alcohol issues and died after an overdose that included fentanyl. He was 37.
Along with experiencing concussions in football, Brennan suffered head trauma in a 2010 head-on collision when an SUV he was traveling in crossed the center line.
Brennan finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2007. He broke or tied 31 NCAA records upon completion of his three-year UH career — including career touchdown passes (131), single-season touchdown passes (58 in 2006) and most touchdowns responsible for in a career (146).
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In his 2006 season, he led the nation in total offense (422.5), passing efficiency (185.96), points responsible for (27.7), completion percentage (72.6%), passing yards (5,549) and passing yards per game (396.4). He broke or tied 20 NCAA records, 17 Western Athletic Conference records and 41 school records that year.
