Former NFL player and Wake Forest University standout Alphonso Smith Jr. has d+ed at the age of 40 after reportedly taking his own life.
According to TMZ Sports, sources with direct knowledge said the former cornerback d+ed by s¥icide on Wednesday at a housing community in Florida.
Shortly before his de@th, Smith shared a cryptic and emotional message on Facebook in which he apologised to his family, friends and children while opening up about the personal struggles he had been battling.
“Do not cry for me! I tried everything in my power to f+ght the demons behind the ones that someone put into ME! I did not want to be that WAY! I know I have disappointed so many folks. This is a DEMON in me! But not only me! It’s EVERYONE! I have HURT so many! I needed help & did not get it!”
Smith repeatedly apologised in the post and described himself as a “coward” and a “huge coward.”
He also referenced alleged abuse he suffered as a young boy, saying that things happened to him involving an older woman and that he later repeated the same behaviour towards others.
The former athlete ended the post with a heartbreaking message to his loved ones.
“To my kids, daddy is SO SORRY!”
He later wrote: “My heart is pure, but my BRAIN & experience is MESSED UP!!”
Smith concluded the post with: “I am SORRY! THIS IS IT!”
The former cornerback attended Wake Forest University from 2004 to 2008 and earned All-American honours during his final season.
He was later inducted into the Wake Forest Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.