Former NFL pass rusher Aldon Smith died at the age of 36 on Saturday after being found unresponsive in a vehicle in the San Francisco Bay area. With no official cause of death released, his family announced Tuesday they are donating his brain to the Boston University CTE Center for a neuropathological examination.
Smith was discovered slumped over in the front passenger seat of his vehicle by a friend, Amir Shirazi, hours after delivering pizzas to a homeless charity, according to the Associated Press. Civil rights attorneys Harry Daniels, Bakari Sellers, and Wayne Kendall are representing the family and confirmed the transfer of his brain to medical experts.
The Boston University CTE Center will examine the brain for chronic traumatic encephalopathy and other neurological damage linked to repeated concussions. Under current medical science, CTE can only be definitively diagnosed posthumously. The facility has previously found the degenerative brain disease in over 90% of the more than 300 former NFL player brains it has examined.
Selected seventh overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2011 NFL Draft, Smith established a historically dominant start to his professional career. He currently holds the NFL record for the most sacks by any player in their first two seasons with 33.5. He also maintains the 49ers franchise record for the most sacks in a single season, recording 19.5 in 2012 during a year that included a Super Bowl appearance.
His immense early potential was repeatedly interrupted by a series of league suspensions tied to substance abuse violations, domestic violence charges, and multiple DUI arrests. These off-field issues resulted in multiple releases from the 49ers, Las Vegas Raiders, Dallas Cowboys, and Seattle Seahawks.
Following his passing, the 49ers, Raiders, and Cowboys organizations all released official statements mourning his death. Former San Francisco teammate Anthony Dixon also published a public tribute honoring Smith’s “creative mind” and “aura.”