Ex-NFL QB Accused of Faking His Death

Such are the intimations throughout this piece in today’s Philadelphia Inquirer about the death of former NFL quarterback, Jeff Komlo.

Komlo, who played for the Lions and the Bucs in the early 80’s, was a regular Talented Mr. Ripley, it turns out, a con-man and possibly an arsonist who was on the lam in Greece when he reportedly was involved in a fatal car accident.

But evidently, Komlo is such a slick character that the DA in Pennsylvania’s Chester County isn’t buying the notion that he’s actually dead. “I have no information that would lead me to believe this is a hoax,” DA Joseph Carroll is quoted as saying in the article, “but because of his past actions, I will remain suspicious until his identity is confirmed.”

Indeed, Komlo’s attorney, Kenneth Lemoine, made a curt statement on the matter that does seem pretty damn suspicious. “I can confirm that he was involved in a fatal car accident," Lemoine said yesterday. "That's all I'm authorized to say."

In other words: “He’s dead, all right? Totally and completely 100% dead. That’s all I can say at this moment. So you might as well stop all your legal proceedings against him right now, because he is thoroughly and unequivocally dead and you can’t try a dead person for arson or assault. We looked that up, and you can’t, so don’t even think about it, cause he’s dead.”

Among the charges that Komlo is wanted for are cocaine possession, two drunken driving stops, assault, and the possible arson of his home in West Palm Beach, Fla. There was another fire, too, that police wanted to talk to him about, this one at another of Komlo’s homes in Chester Springs, Pa.

Lemoine proclaimed the car accident a tragedy and said of Komlo that “Jeff was a great guy, he just associated with the wrong people at times.”

Yeah, like arsonists, cocaine dealers and professional death fakers.

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.