ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — When Gary Kubiak was hired to coach the Denver Broncos, he wanted a full-time chaplain.
Kubiak went looking for someone players could really relate to, someone who had played the game and "had some stories to tell."
That led him to Luther Elliss, once the highest-paid defensive tackle in the NFL before losing it all and going bankrupt, then rebuilding his life and answering his second calling as a minister.
Ellis, who played nine seasons in Detroit and one in Denver after a standout career at the University of Utah, serves as both a cautionary tale and a sounding board at 13655 Broncos Parkway, where he delivers practical financial advice and spiritual guidance.