The family of Aldon Smith has arranged for his brain to be examined by medical experts in Boston as part of a broader investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death, seeking to determine whether chronic traumatic encephalopathy contributed to the passing of the former NFL defensive lineman, who died Saturday at the age of 36.
Smith died just hours after delivering pizzas to a homeless charity, an act of generosity that made the news of his passing all the more jarring. No official cause of death has been announced. His family has retained legal counsel to assist in the investigation and has described taking several steps to understand what happened, including the brain tissue examination that will assess both CTE and any other neurological damage resulting from years of concussions and repeated trauma sustained during his football career.
What CTE is and why it matters here
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a degenerative brain disease found in athletes who compete in contact sports, combat veterans, and others with histories of repetitive head trauma. The condition has been associated with violent mood swings, impulsive behavior, and depression, and it can only be confirmed through examination of brain tissue after death. Smith’s family has said he suffered numerous concussions throughout his NFL career, making the CTE question a central one in understanding the full picture of his life and death.
The disease has become an increasingly prominent subject of discussion in professional football over the past two decades as research has linked it to the experiences of a significant number of former players. Smith’s case, given his age and the circumstances of his death, adds another dimension to a conversation the NFL and the broader sports world are still navigating.
A career of extraordinary promise
Smith’s football ability was never in question. He entered the league with the San Francisco 49ers and immediately established himself as one of the most disruptive defensive players in the game, recording 14 sacks in his rookie season before producing 19.5 sacks the following year, a franchise record that still stands. Pro Bowl and All-Pro recognition followed. He was the kind of player who could change the outcome of games simply by being on the field.
What followed was a prolonged and painful struggle with off-field behavior that defined the later arc of his career as much as his early brilliance had defined its beginning. Multiple arrests over the span of nearly a decade, including charges related to driving under the influence and weapons possession, led to suspensions, releases, and reinstatements that kept him cycling through rosters without ever recapturing the sustained excellence of his early years. His final NFL appearance came in 2020. An attempted comeback with Seattle in 2021 ended almost immediately.
A life that was turning a corner
What makes Smith’s death particularly difficult to process is where he appeared to be heading in his final years. He had begun channeling his personal struggles into a mentorship initiative called Intelligent Movement, designed to support young athletes navigating the pressures and pitfalls that come with sudden professional success and public scrutiny. It was the kind of work that suggested someone who had found a constructive purpose after years of difficulty.
That he spent part of his final day delivering food to people experiencing homelessness added to the portrait of a man working to give back. His family is now working to understand why that day was his last, and whether the years of physical punishment his body absorbed on football fields across the country played a role in an ending that came far too soon.
