TAMPA, Fla — Former Bucs first-round draft pick Keith McCants, whose six-year NFL career was followed by a downward spiral of self-infliction that included a dependence on painkillers and eventually street drugs, died Thursday in St. Petersburg.
The cause of death appears to be a drug overdose, though an investigation continues, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office indicated.
A twice-divorced dad of four, McCants was 53. Earlier this year, he successfully had undergone left hip-replacement surgery and spoke openly of using his backstory as a cautionary tale for youngsters.
“I’m still shocked that a guy who’s 53 years old can be gone who was a titan of his peers,” said St. Petersburg mayoral candidate Robert Blackmon, who befriended McCants more than a decade ago and helped defray costs of his recent surgery.
“But also from where he was when I met him, I’m happy we were able to get as long as we did. I just wished he could’ve found more peace and happiness on earth.”
Deputies responded at 5:10 a.m. Thursday to 2833 62nd Ave N. in St. Petersburg, where McCants resided with a roommate. When officers arrived on scene, McCants was deceased, the sheriff’s office indicated.
A unanimous first-team All-America linebacker as a senior at Alabama in 1989, McCants was selected by the Bucs with the No. 4 overall pick in the 1990 NFL draft. McCants required knee surgery two days after the draft, which, in addition to being shifted from linebacker to defensive end in Tampa Bay, stymied his pro career.
McCants’ financial and legal troubles mounted once his pro career ended following the 1995 season.
During an interview with local sports-talk radio host Steve Duemig (who passed away in 2019), McCants said he lost more than $17 million dollars. In a video produced by Vice Sports, he acknowledged he attempted suicide more than once, and at one point consumed 183 pills a week to alleviate the pain resulting from nearly three-dozen surgeries (primarily on his right knee, right elbow, neck and left shoulder).
He appeared in "Broke," an ESPN “30 for 30” examination of athletes whose wealth vanished within years of retirement.
“Unfortunately, it isn’t that big of a surprise, because Keith has been going through some tough things throughout the years,” said WDAE 620-AM afternoon-drive host Ian Beckles, selected by the Bucs in the same draft class as McCants.
“But Keith was just a guy who got drafted too high. He didn’t ever pan out to his draft pick, obviously. He went through some tough times. For sure, he was going through some situations. ... You hate to hear that, but he’s gone too soon, that’s for sure.”
Still, his life recently seemed on an upward trajectory. During a lunch interview with the Tampa Bay Times in June, shortly after his hip surgery, McCants spoke of scuba diving again (he became the first Black marine police officer in the state of Alabama after his football career ended) and returning to the gym regularly.
Early last week, at the dawn of St. Petersburg’s primary election day, McCants phoned Blackmon to inform him he was trying to drum up support for the candidate. Blackmon earned enough votes to face Ken Welch in the Nov. 2 general election.
“Then he called me later that night and said, ‘Did we do it?’ ” Blackmon recalled.
“We were talking about making plans for the next 20 or 30 years and he was excited — the first time he was really excited about the future. I don’t know what to say.”
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Tampa Bay Times staff writers Rick Stroud and Natalie Weber contributed to this report.
