Former Lions, Broncos CB Alphonso Smith Jr. dies at 40

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Former Denver Broncos and Detroit Lions defensive back Alphonso Smith Jr. died on Wednesday, the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed to the Denver Post .

Specifics of his death are not yet known. According to TMZ , Smith died by suicide in Pahokee, Florida, on Wednesday.

Smith spent four seasons in the league, first with the Broncos after they selected him with the No. 37 overall draft pick out of Wake Forest in 2009. Smith was dealt to the Detroit Lions after his rookie season in Denver. He immediately had his best campaign with his new team, and had 39 total tackles and five interceptions that season, including one that he ran back for a score.

In total, Smith had 87 total tackles and eight interceptions in his NFL career.

Smith spent four seasons at Wake Forest and earned All-American honors as a senior. He led the nation with eight interceptions in 2007, and followed that up with seven before he entered the draft. Smith was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 2022.

"First and foremost, I am heartbroken," Wake Forest Hall of Famer Jim Grobe said in a statement . "Alphonso was one of those special people that every time you saw him, he had a big smile on his face and he just made you feel better to be around him. And he was obviously a great football player, too. I just loved him and he was great to have on our football team. The team loved him, and he was a difference maker. He won a bunch of games for us and he made a lot of plays, especially late in the fourth quarter that turned games around and won games for us. He was an instinctive player. But, the No. 1 attribute I remember about Alphonso is his smile. He was a blessing for us."

Smith was cut by the Lions in 2012, and he returned home to Florida. He briefly served as the head football coach at Pahokee High School, where he went to high school, but was removed after allegations of inappropriate conduct, per the Denver Post. He was also charged with domestic battery after an incident with his former girlfriend in 2016, and there were roughly 19 incident reports made against Smith from 1999 to 2025.