Former Denver Broncos cornerback and second-round pick Alphonso Smith Jr. has died at 40, the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed to the Denver Post on Thursday morning.
The Medical Examiner’s Office and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office declined to provide additional details about Smith’s death.
reported that Smith died by suicide at a housing community in Pahokee, Fla., on Wednesday.
The Broncos selected Smith with the 37th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft after trading their 2010 first-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks. Denver went 4-12 the following season, giving Seattle the 14th overall pick in the 2010 Draft. The Seahawks took future All-Pro safety Earl Thomas with that pick. Meanwhile, Denver fired coach Josh McDaniels in December 2010 and then general manager Brian Xanders in 2012.
Smith played just one season in Denver, never starting a game. He posted 14 tackles in 2009 before he was traded to the Detroit Lions in 2010 for tight end Dan Gronkowski. Smith played three seasons in Detroit, starting 11 games for the Lions. He recorded five interceptions in 2010 and three in 2011.
The cornerback was cut by the Lions in 2012 and returned to his hometown in Florida. He briefly served as the head football coach at his alma mater, Pahokee High School, before he was removed from his position . He was charged with domestic battery against his then-girlfriend in 2016, according to court records. A Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputy told the Denver Post the department had roughly 19 incident reports against Smith from 1999 to 2025.
