Former Ravens quarterback Cullen Finnerty may not be the most memorable name in Baltimore, but his recent disappearance is a sad story nonetheless.
Finnerty quarterbacked Grand Valley State to three Division II national championships between 2003-2006. Â Now, almost forty members of the Grand Valley State football program along with local authorities continue to search for Finnerty along the Baldwin River in Lake County, MI for his whereabouts.
According to statements from police and information via mlive.com, Finnerty went fishing alone and phoned his wife later that afternoon. Finnerty told his wife that he was scared and needed someone to pick him up. After hanging up the phone, he ran into the woods.
As of Tuesday evening, authorities have only been able to recover Finnerty’s small inflatable pontoon boat and fishing pole.
Signed by the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2007, Finnerty spent the majority of his time in Baltimore on the practice squad. Following an injury to starting quarterback Kyle Boller, Finnerty was promoted to the active roster for the final two games of the season. Finnerty was signed by the Denver Broncos but hasn’t played in the NFL since 2008.
Helicopters have been used in the search but so far there has be no sign of Finnerty. As the search continues, we’ll update you if any other information becomes available.
Update – 10:23 p.m. EST
Multiple media outlets including mlive.com and WZZM confirm that Cullen Finnerty has been found dead. Finnerty was found a half mile from where his small raft was located under a tree. The Detroit Free Press reports that Finnerty was wearing fishing waders along with a camoflauge jacket. According to those in the search party that discovered him, Finnerty didn’t appear to have any signs of foul play or injuries to his body at the time he was found.
An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.
