PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images / TMZ Sports composite
Former NFL Cornerback Alphonso Smith Jr. Dies at 40

Former NFL cornerback and Wake Forest University standout Alphonso Smith Jr. has died at the age of 40.

According to an initial report by TMZ Sports, sources with direct knowledge told the outlet that Smith died by suicide on Wednesday, September 2, at a housing community in Florida. His death was later confirmed by multiple U.S. sports outlets including USA Today and Broncos Wire.

Shortly before his death, Smith shared a distressing final message on his Facebook page in which he apologized to his family, friends and children and spoke openly about personal battles he had been facing.

In the post, he 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!”
In the same message, Smith repeatedly described himself as a “coward” and referenced alleged childhood abuse, stating that he was abused by an older woman as a young boy.

He ended the post with an apology to his children:
“To my kids, daddy is SO SORRY! My heart is pure, but my BRAIN & experience is MESSED UP!! I am SORRY! THIS IS IT!”
Smith played college football at Wake Forest from 2004 to 2008, where he set an ACC record and earned All-American honors in his final season. He was inducted into the Wake Forest Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.

He was selected 37th overall by the Denver Broncos in the 2009 NFL Draft and was later traded to the Detroit Lions in September 2010, where he played from 2010 to 2012.

Following news of his death, tributes and reactions have poured in on social media, with many users calling attention to mental health and the importance of seeking help.

If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. In Nigeria, call the Suicide Research and Prevention Initiative hotline: 09080217555, 09034443764. In the US, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

SOURCE: Gistlover.com