Alphonso Smith, the record-setting Wake Forest cornerback who played four seasons in the NFL, reportedly died by suicide Wednesday. He was 40.
TMZ reported that Smith died at a housing community in Florida, just hours after publishing a disturbing social media post that touched on childhood abuse and described himself as a “coward.”
The Pahokee, Florida, native carved out a place in Wake Forest history long before reaching the NFL.
Smith earned first-team All-ACC honors in both 2007 and 2008, was named to the Walter Camp All-America second team in 2007, and became a consensus All-American during his senior season.
His knack for hunting down the football made him one of college football’s most dangerous defensive backs.
Smith tied for the national lead with eight interceptions in 2007, returning three of them for touchdowns. He followed that performance with seven more picks in 2008, again tying for the most in the country.
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By the end of his Wake Forest career, Smith had collected 21 interceptions, a program record that remains intact. The total also established an ACC record at the time.
The Denver Broncos selected Smith with the 37th overall pick in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He appeared in 15 games as a rookie before Denver traded him to the Detroit Lions in September 2010.
Smith enjoyed his best professional season immediately after arriving in Detroit, grabbing five interceptions and returning one for a touchdown. He added three interceptions and another defensive score in 2011.
The Lions released Smith during final roster cuts in August 2012 but brought him back in October as injuries battered their secondary. He appeared in four games before Detroit waived him again Nov. 12.
No other NFL team signed him.
Alphonso Smith finished his professional career with 88 tackles, eight interceptions, 19 passes defended and two defensive touchdowns across 42 games.
