Former NFL player Alphonso Smith Jr. dies at age 40 in Pahokee
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Former NFL player Alphonso Smith Jr. has passed away at the age of 40. TMZ was the first to report his passing.
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Smith died by suicide in Florida, according to the TMZ report. Further details about Smith’s death were not immediately available.
Smith played collegiately at Wake Forest, where he set an Atlantic Coast Conference record for interceptions with 21 and became a member of the school’s athletic hall of fame in 2021.
Smith was the No. 37 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. He spent one season with the Denver Broncos, playing 15 games before being traded on Sept. 4 the next season to the Detroit Lions in exchange for Dan Gronkowski. He spent the next three seasons with the Lions, and they waived him at the 2012 roster-cut deadline but brought Smith back midseason.
During his four-year career from 2009 to 2012, Smith Jr. played in 42 games. He recorded 88 tackles and eight interceptions. His five interceptions in 2010 led Detroit.
Smith was one of the most accomplished athletes to emerge from Pahokee High School.
A two-way standout at quarterback and defensive back, Smith helped lead the Blue Devils to the 2003 Class 2B state championship while earning all-state honors and finishing as the runner-up for Florida's Mr. Football award. As a senior, he accounted for more than 3,000 combined passing and rushing yards, showcasing the versatility that made him one of the most dynamic players in Palm Beach County history.
After his playing career, Smith returned to coaching, serving at Moore Haven before later coaching at Pahokee and Inlet Grove. He was dismissed as Pahokee's head coach in 2015 amid allegations of inappropriate conduct.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Former NFL player Alphonso Smith Jr. dies at age 40 in Pahokee