Former Detroit Lions cornerback Alphonso Smith Jr. has died at the age of 40, according to a report Wednesday from TMZ Sports.
Sources with direct knowledge of the situation told TMZ Sports that Smith died by suicide Wednesday in Florida.
Smith spent three seasons with the Lions from 2010 through 2012 after beginning his NFL career with the Denver Broncos.
Smith Shared Troubling Message Before His Death
According to TMZ, Smith posted an emotional message to Facebook before his death in which he described struggling with what he called “demons,” apologized to people he believed he had hurt and said he had needed help.
Smith wrote:
“Do not cry for me! I tried everything in my power to fight the demons behind the ones that someone put into ME! I did not want to be that WAY! I know I have disappointed so many folks. This is a DEMON in me! But not only me! It’s EVERYONE! I have HURT so many! I needed help & did not get it!”
TMZ reported that Smith continued apologizing in the post and referenced abuse he said he suffered from an older woman when he was a child.
He ended the message with:
“I am SORRY! THIS IS IT!”
No additional circumstances surrounding Smith’s death had been publicly released as of Wednesday afternoon.
Alphonso Smith Made an Immediate Impact With the Lions
Smith arrived in Detroit just before the beginning of the 2010 season.
The Broncos had selected him with the 37th overall pick in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft, but Denver moved him one year later. The Lions acquired Smith in exchange for tight end Dan Gronkowski, a transaction that remains listed in the Detroit Lions’ official 2010 transaction history.
His first season in Detroit turned out to be the most productive of his NFL career.
Smith appeared in 12 games with 10 starts in 2010 and intercepted five passes, returning one for a touchdown. He finished his professional career with eight interceptions, 19 passes defended and 88 tackles across 42 games.
Smith remained with Detroit through the 2012 season, which proved to be his final year in the NFL.
A Decorated Career at Wake Forest
Long before Smith reached Detroit, he established himself as one of the finest defensive backs in Wake Forest history.
Smith recorded 21 career interceptions, a mark that still stands as the ACC career record. He led the nation with eight interceptions during the 2007 season before adding seven more as a senior in 2008.
That senior season brought first-team All-American honors from multiple organizations and made Smith a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, awarded to the nation’s top defensive player.
His collegiate career was eventually recognized with induction into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame.
Smith once described what his time at Wake Forest meant to him in remarkably personal terms.
“The growth, the gratification and the education that I got at Wake Forest was transformational,” Smith said. “What Wake Forest did for me was a lot greater than what I did for them.”
Detroit Football Family Loses Another Former Player
Smith’s death brings another painful loss to the Detroit Lions football family.
Detroit Sports Nation has previously reported on the deaths of former Lions cornerbacks D.J. Hayden and Stanley Wilson Jr., reminders that the players who pass through Detroit remain part of the broader Lions community long after their playing careers end.
Smith was only in Detroit for three seasons, but his 2010 run remains memorable. Five interceptions in his first year with the organization briefly gave the Lions a young playmaker in a secondary that desperately needed one.
He was 40 years old.
Our condolences go out to Smith’s family, friends, former teammates and everyone who knew him.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.