A former NFL lineman who committed suicide at an Oregon wildlife refuge was facing criminal charges that he sexually abused three children under the age of 14, authorities said Tuesday.
Court records obtained by The Associated Press show Michael Wayne Current, 66, was scheduled to enter pleas Tuesday in Marion County Circuit Court in Salem, Ore., on five counts of first-degree sexual abuse and one count of luring a minor.
Marion County Deputy District Attorney Will Lathrop said the charges involved three victims, all under the age of 14, and that the incidents occurred between 2004 and 2010.
Court records show Current was secretly indicted Nov. 17, and notified of the indictment Dec. 15. Current's attorney, James Susee, did not immediately return a telephone call for comment.
Current played left tackle at Ohio State and was a co-captain his senior year under coach Woody Hayes.
He was chosen in the third round of the 1967 AFL/ NFL draft by the Denver Broncos. He also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Miami Dolphins, starting 164 of the 169 games he played.
His 2002 memoir was titled "Rememberin' Life in the Trenches."
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press
