Alphonso Smith Jr., 40, died by suicide Wednesday after posting a harrowing message to social media hours earlier.
The former NFL cornerback called himself a “coward” in the post and referenced childhood abuse he had suffered, the outlet reported.
Smith’s death came just hours after that final message, capping a life that had carried him from rural Florida to the heights of college football and a four-year professional career.
The Pahokee, Fla., native first turned heads at his local high school before landing at Wake Forest, where he built one of the most decorated careers in program history. He earned two All-ACC First Team selections and an All-American Second Team nod before his consensus All-American season in 2008.
Smith dominated the interception column during his final two college seasons. He led all of Division I with eight picks in 2007, returning three for touchdowns, then topped the nation again with seven interceptions in 2008.
His 21 career interceptions remain the most in Wake Forest history.
The Broncos made him the 37th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, selecting him in the second round. He spent just one season in Denver before a trade sent him to Detroit at the start of the 2010 campaign.
Smith, 27 at the time, found his footing with the Lions and posted a career-high five interceptions that season. He added three more the following year, but his playing time dwindled sharply in 2012.
He appeared in only four games that fall before the Lions waived him in November. No other NFL team signed him afterward.
The social media post that preceded his death offered no public hint of the accolades that had defined his earlier years. Instead, Smith turned the focus inward with raw self-recrimination and a glimpse into past trauma.
He had not played professional football in more than a decade, and his final public words came not from a locker room or press conference but from a personal account on social media.
Smith spent his NFL career split between two franchises, never quite matching the statistical dominance he showed in college. Yet his Wake Forest records have stood for years, and his back-to-back seasons leading the nation in interceptions remain a rare feat in Division I history.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line at 741741. If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.