In the days leading up to former NFL player Alphonso Smith’s unexpected death, his social media posts appeared, on the surface, to reflect his usual personality. He joked around, shared a funny birthday shout-out to his mother, and even posted a video on August 27 of himself knocking on someone’s door and offering to get them breakfast.
His Facebook introductory caption on his page reads, “I am a professional by day & a comic by night. Do not judge me for my Facebook content. I joke [hugging face emoji].”
That makes the shift in tone in his final post striking. Alphonso’s final Facebook post indicated that the former Broncos and Lions cornerback was dealing with a deeply dark issue he was battling privately. He specified in his post that “things happened” to him by an older woman when he was younger, and “as a result, he did the same to others.”
He later wrote about trying to fight the demons he felt had been placed inside him, expressed regret for hurting people and his loved ones (family, siblings, children, & friends), and said he needed help but did not receive it. He repeatedly apologized, called himself a coward, and ended the post by writing, “I am SORRY! THIS IS IT!”
The Pahokee High School football coach and dean of students died on September 2nd at age 40. Reports initially stated that he died at a housing community in Florida. TMZ reported that his death was a suicide, citing sources with direct knowledge.
Previously, ABC 25 WPBF News reports that Smith was abruptly terminated from his head football coach at Pahokee High School at the start of the playoffs in November 2015 following an investigation into “inappropriate conduct.” No criminal charges were filed, and details were never publicly disclosed, according to the news outlet.
According to LinkedIn, he worked as a sideline reporter/broadcaster for IMG for 5 months and assistant football coach for Carver High School in Winston Salem, NC; sales and marketing representative for Barrister’s Title Services in the Charlotte area; and head coach and instructor for Moore Haven High School in Moore Haven, Florida, prior to the inappropriate conduct in 2015.
In April 2021, Smith was hired as head football coach at Inlet Grove High School in Riviera Beach, Florida. According to Palm Beach Post, he led the varsity team for a full season before he and school administrators mutually agreed that he would step down in early 2022.
Double Deemuva Blaqurate News reported a lawsuit filed against Smith and the School District of Palm Beach County, citing that the plaintiff allegedly experienced inappropriate behavior by Smith and accused the school district of negligence in hiring him despite his prior history in 2015.
The lawsuit was a prayer of judgement and sought damages for alleged mental anguish, inconvenience, loss of capacity for enjoyment of life, medical expenses, and other losses. It also cited that any final outcome or award in the case should be confirmed through court records. No additional information on what the plaintiff was awarded.
His final words serve as a reminder that we cannot always know what’s going on with a person behind a smile, jokes, or even seemingly normal social media posts. In Smith’s situation, he openly expressed his struggles and was battling with deeply rooted issues that resulted in him hurting others.
Prior to his high school coaching career, he was drafted by the Denver Broncos in 2009 and was traded to the Detroit Lions the following year. He played three seasons in Detroit before ending his NFL career in 2012 season. Alphonso attended Wake Forest University from 2004 to 2008, earning All-American honors during his final season. He was later inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org to connect with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
