Man who conned Rod Smith, other NFL players, commits suicide

A man who convinced Denver Broncos wide receiver Rod Smith (formerly of Missouri Southern State University in Joplin) and other Broncos to invest in a fraudulent hedge fund scheme committed suicide Saturday night:

Kirk Wright, 37, founder of an illegitimate hedge fund who was convicted Wednesday by a federal jury of bilking $150 million from thousands of clients, hung himself Saturday in the Union City, Ga., jail where he was awaiting sentencing of up to 710 years in prison.

Wright started a hedge fund in 1998 called International Management Associates, enlisting Steve Atwater, a former Broncos safety, to help recruit clients. Atwater invested $2.8 million of his own money, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission, into the fund, and additionally raised more than $15 million by signing up several NFL friends including Terrell Davis, the Broncos' star running back who retired after the 2001 season, and Smith, the franchise's all-time leading receiver who earlier this year was placed on the reserve/retired list.

Wright was showing documents that falsely stated a 27 percent annual return through 2005 according to a SEC complaint when in fact he was spending clients' money on jewelry, real estate and luxury vehicles.