Former All-Pro, Dallas Cowboys pass rusher passes away at 36
Former All-Pro pass rusher Aldon Smith passed away at the age of 36 on Saturday morning in Northern California, according to a statement from the San Francisco 49ers and a report by ESPN. A cause of death has not yet been released.
Smith, who was a first-team All-Pro honoree for the 49ers in 2012, played his final NFL season with the Dallas Cowboys in 2020 when he started all 16 games and accumulated 5.0 sacks and 48 tackles. He signed with the Seattle Seahawks in 2021, but he was released at the conclusion of training camp.
A native of Greenwood, Miss., Smith was selected with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. In his first two seasons, he exploded onto the scene with 33.5 sacks, five forced fumbles and 103 tackles.
In 2013, off-the-field issues began to affect his on-field availability. Three weeks into his third season, Smith was involved in a single-car accident and was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and possession of marijuana. After a five-week stint in a rehabilitation facility, Smith returned to the field and finished with 8.5 sacks in 11 games.
In 2014, Smith served a nine-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct and substance abuse policies. He was released by the 49ers in 2015 after his third DUI arrest. After playing a season with the Oakland Raiders, he was again suspended by the NFL for an entire season for what transpired in that third DUI arrest. Once serving the suspension, the NFL did not reinstate him after a domestic violence incident. He would end up sitting out four consecutive seasons.
In 2020, he applied for reinstatement and was granted permission by the league to sign a one-year deal with the Cowboys. He remained diligent off the field and started all 16 games for Mike McCarthy’s first season at the helm. In his first game back in the NFL in nearly five years, Smith recorded a team-high 11 tackles and one sack. In a Week 14 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, Smith recovered a fumble and returned it 78 yards for a touchdown — the fifth-longest fumble return in franchise history.
This story will be updated with more information as it becomes available.
