A little more than six months ago, Colt Brennan was lying in a hospital bed in Hawaii, listed in serious condition. Today it was announced that Brennan will be returning to football, having signed a contract with the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League (UFL).
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The UFL is seen as a sort of minor league or junior-varsity or developmental league to the NFL, though there is no true association between the two. The league has only been in existence since 2009 and has five teams in cities the NFL doesn't have teams: Hartford, Las Vegas, Omaha, Sacramento and Virginia.
Many UFL players have played at major college programs, and some have even had rather successful careers in the NFL. Notable UFL players include former Ohio State star (and troubled) running back Maurice Clarett, former Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper, and former Buccaneers defensive end Simeon Rice. For some players its a chance to be noticed, to spring back to the NFL or to continue a playing career when their talents have fizzled.
For Brennan, it will be about just getting back to the sport he loved.
“With so much that I've had to go through over the last couple of years, I'm just really thankful that I have a place to play football this year,” Brennan also said in the team statement. “I'm so excited at the opportunity and potential of being a starting quarterback in a real football game. That hasn't happened in over three years. I cannot wait. If I get an opportunity to be a starter in a real football game, it will probably be a memory and a moment that lasts me a long time in my life after all I've been through the last three years.”
After seeing little playing time at Mater Dei, Brennan walked-on to the team at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He ruined that opportunity when he was convicted of felony burglary and trespassing, following an incident where he was alleged to have entered a woman's dorm and fondled her. He was said to have been drunk at the time. Charges of sexual assault were later dropped due to a lack of evidence.
