Former San Francisco 49ers defensive end Aldon Smith has passed away at the age of 36.
The 49ers made announcmenent of his passing and released this statement “we are devastated by the sudden and tragic passing of Aldon Smith. Aldon’s undeniable talent and sheer dominance on the field were on display from the moment he joined our organization, having recorded one of the best rookie seasons the National Football League has seen. Beyond his excellence as a player, Aldon will be remembered for his infectious smile that lit up every room he walked into. Our entire organization sends its deepest condolences to the Smith family and all who knew and loved Aldon.”
Smith was taken No.7 overall in the 2011 NFL Draft out Missouri. In his rookie season with the 49ers he recorded 37 tackles with 13 for loss, 27 quarterback hits, 14 sacks, 4 passes defended, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and a safety. Impressive numbers as he was mostly on the field during pass rush situations.
In year two he improved significantly where he was on the field more. In 2012 he recorded 66 tackles with 18 tackles for loss, 19.5 sacks, 29 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles, one pass defended, and one interception that was returned for six yards. He also made the Pro-Bowl and was first-team All-Pro.
With the 33.5 sacks in Smith’s first two seasons, that is the most in NFL history.
Also, it was well documented that Smith did have issues off the field which resulted in several NFL suspensions. Yet over the past couple of seasons, he was open about his struggles with depression and negative self-talk including a podcast on Fox Sports’ All Facts No Breaks. He also created platform called I.M. Loading and that stood for Intelligent Movement. With Darren Waller he advocated for him.
Last week Smith reportedly spoke to 49ers rookies. More importantly though from the aforementioned podcast he said “I’m grateful for my journey so far because of where I am now.” Truly a huge loss for the NFL world.