Ex-NFL player Alphonso Smith Jr. dies at 40
FILE-Alphonso Smith Jr. #33 of the Denver Broncos warms up before their game against the Oakland Raiders at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on September 27, 2009 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Alphonso Smith Jr., a former player in the National Football League, has died. He was 40 years old.
TMZ, who first reported Smith’s death, said sources told them that he died by suicide in Florida.
Additional details about the former cornerback’s death were not immediately available.
Who was Alphonso Smith Jr.?
The backstory:
Alphonso Smith Jr. played college football at Wake Forest and set an Atlantic Coast Conference record with 21 interceptions and went on to become a member of the university’s athletic hall of fame in 2021.
Smith was selected No. 37 overall by the Denver Broncos in the 2009 NFL Draft. The Pahokee, Florida native spent one season with the team, appearing in 15 games before he was traded in 2010 to the Detroit Lions.
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He spent the next three years with the Lions, but the franchise waived him in 2012 at the roster cut deadline, but the team brought him back midseason.
Smith finished his four-year NFL career playing in 42 games, recording eight interceptions and 77 tackles.
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The Source: Information for this story was provided by TMZ, USA Today, NFL.com and Pro Football Reference. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.