Former NFL cornerback Alphonso Smith Jr. has died at the age of 40, sources told TMZ Sports, after the former Denver Broncos and Detroit Lions defensive back posted a lengthy and deeply troubled message on Facebook hours before his death.
Smith was found dead Wednesday at a housing community in his hometown of Pahokee, Florida. Authorities confirmed the cause as suicide.
In the Facebook post that circulated widely after the news broke, Smith wrote that he had tried “everything in my power to fight the demons behind the ones that someone put into ME.”
He apologized repeatedly to his children, family and others he said he had hurt, called himself a “coward,” and referenced abuse he said he suffered as a young boy at the hands of an older woman. He added that, as a result, he had done the same to others. The message ended with the words “THIS IS IT!”
Just four days earlier, Smith had posted video of himself celebrating a Pahokee High School football victory, appearing upbeat.
Smith was a local legend in Pahokee before becoming one of the most decorated defensive backs in Wake Forest history. He set an ACC record with 21 career interceptions, earned consensus All-American honors in 2008, and was inducted into the school’s athletic hall of fame.
The Broncos selected him in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft (37th overall). After one season in Denver, he was traded to Detroit, where he recorded a team-leading five interceptions in 2010. He finished his four-year NFL career with 88 tackles and eight interceptions in 42 games.
After leaving the league, Smith returned to his hometown and briefly served as head coach at Pahokee High School. He was removed from that position in 2015 amid allegations of inappropriate conduct. The following year, he was charged with domestic battery.
Friends and former teammates described Smith as a gifted player whose post-football life was marked by personal struggles. No statements from the Broncos, Lions or Wake Forest had been released as of early Thursday.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, help is available. Call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
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