Former Detroit Lions cornerback Alphonso Smith Jr. has died at age 40, according to TMZ, which first reported his passing in Florida. Smith died by suicide, TMZ reported, just hours after posting a message on Facebook in which he described a lifelong struggle with mental health rooted in childhood sexual abuse and apologized to his family and children.
Smith's death was first reported by TMZ Sports on September 2, and additional details about his final social media post were confirmed by Complex. The Detroit News also confirmed that Smith spent three seasons with the Lions, the team where he built the bulk of his NFL legacy.
A Record-Setting Career at Wake Forest
Before he reached the NFL, Smith was a defensive standout at Wake Forest University from 2004 to 2008, where he set the Atlantic Coast Conference record for career interceptions with 21. He led all NCAA Division I FBS players in interceptions in both 2007 and 2008, a feat detailed by Pro Football History, and he earned consensus All-American honors as a senior. Smith earned a bachelor's degree in history from Wake Forest in 2008, and the school inducted him into its Sports Hall of Fame in 2021, a recognition of the lasting mark he left on the program.
His college dominance translated directly into NFL draft interest. The Denver Broncos selected Smith 37th overall in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft, trading away their 2010 first-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks just to move up and take him, according to NFL.com. That traded pick would later be used by Seattle to select future All-Pro safety Earl Thomas, underscoring just how much value teams placed on Smith at the time.
The Trade to Detroit and His Best Season
Smith played 15 games with Denver during his 2009 rookie season before the Broncos traded him to the Detroit Lions on September 4, 2010, in a deal that sent tight end Dan Gronkowski to Denver along with a draft-choice swap. It was in Detroit that Smith had his most productive NFL season, leading the Lions with five interceptions in 2010, including a 42-yard interception return for a touchdown against the St. Louis Rams, per Heavy Sports. He added three more interceptions for Detroit in 2011.
Across four NFL seasons between 2009 and 2012, Smith appeared in 42 games, recording 88 total tackles, eight interceptions, 19 pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and two defensive touchdowns, according to statistics compiled by Pro-Football-Reference.com. His NFL career came to a close in November 2012, when the Lions waived him.
Returning Home to Coach in Pahokee
After football, Smith went back to where his athletic story began. In 2015, he returned to his high school alma mater in Pahokee, Florida, to serve as head football coach and Dean of Students, according to FootballScoop. In his first year leading the program, Smith guided the team to an 8-2 regular-season record and a district title. Pahokee High School had won a state championship years earlier when Smith played quarterback and cornerback there, before he went on to Wake Forest.
A Second Tragedy From the Same Draft Class
Smith's death carries an especially painful echo within Denver Broncos history. He is the second player from the team's 2009 draft class to die by suicide, following wide receiver Kenny McKinley, who died in September 2010 after being selected by Denver in the fifth round that same year, according to Denver Sports.
In the hours before his death, Smith's Facebook post described struggling for years with the psychological toll of abuse he said he suffered as a child at the hands of an older woman, and he used the post to apologize to the people closest to him. Those details of his final message were reported by Complex.
Help Is Available
Anyone experiencing a mental health crisis or thoughts of suicide can reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which provides free, confidential crisis support 24 hours a day across the United States by call or text to 988.
