Overview
- The Palm Beach County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Smith’s death to the Denver Post, and multiple outlets reporting on the case say he was 40; a detailed public cause-of-death statement has not been released.
- TMZ and many publications reported that Smith died by suicide and that his body was discovered at a Florida housing community hours after a final Facebook post, but those specific cause details have not been independently confirmed by the medical examiner in public reports.
- In the Facebook message that circulated widely, Smith wrote about fighting “demons,” apologized repeatedly to family and others, referenced childhood abuse and closed with the line, “I am SORRY! THIS IS IT!”
- Smith was a Wake Forest standout who set the ACC career interceptions mark, earned All‑American honors and was later inducted into the school’s hall of fame; he played four NFL seasons after being drafted in 2009, splitting time with the Denver Broncos and Detroit Lions.
- Coverage also recalls post-career troubles — including his removal as Pahokee High School coach and a 2016 domestic-battery charge — and the death has renewed calls for better mental‑health outreach and resources for former players and their families.