Former NFL player Chris Smith dead at 31: Tributes pour in for eight-season defensive end who last played for Texans in 2021 and had JUST signed a contract with Seattle in the XFL
- Chris Smith spent time with seven different teams across eight-year NFL career
- He signed an XFL contract with Seattle just weeks before his death at age of 31
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
Former NFL defensive end Chris Smith has died at the age of 31, just hours after playing for the Seattle Sea Dragons in the XFL.
The 2014 NFL Draft pick spent time with seven different teams across eight seasons in the league, ending his pro career with the Houston Texans in 2021.
He played on Sunday in Seattle’s XFL win over St Louis Battlehawks, and as yet no cause of death has been announced.
In 2019, Smith’s girlfriend Petara Cordero was killed on a highway in Cleveland after his Lamborghini suffered a tire malfunction and hit the median.
Cordero exited the car and was standing at the side of the road when another vehicle smashed into the side of theirs, with a 47-year-old woman later admitting to drinking.
Chris Smith, pictured playing for the Baltimore Ravens in 2019, has died at the age of 31
Smith, pictured right with Myles Garrett, also played for the Cleveland Browns for two years
Smith celebrates with coach Larry Jackson after a win over the Jets while with the Browns
Smith’s girlfriend Petara Cordero was killed in a car accident in 2019, just weeks after giving birth to their first daughter
A month before her death, the 26-year-old Cordero had given birth to their first child.
In a tweet revealing Smith’s passing on Monday, West Rowan High School’s football account said: ‘Rest in Peace to a West Rowan Legend!
‘Chris was a better person than he was player! The impact he had on those around him will be remembered forever!’
Cleveland Browns tight-end David Njoku added in his own tribute: ‘Rest in paradise Chris Smith. Hometown hero and a brother to everyone.
‘Such a kind soul. This is Heartbreaking.’
Jerry Mitchell, a cornerback who played with Smith in college, tweeted: ‘RIP Chris Smith, Your smile lit up the room and you spread positivity everywhere you went.
‘You always had a passion for working hard, chasing your dreams, and keeping God first!
‘Your legacy lives on as a person who spread love with a smile. Love you bro.’
Another Arkansas team-mate, running-back Broderick Green, added: ‘Wow. I can’t believe it. RIP to the nicest teammate I’ve ever ha. A pure joy to be around.’
Roy Miller III, a defensive tackle who spent nine seasons in the NFL, wrote: ‘My brother I was just thinking how proud I was of you chasing your dreams in the XFL you made a whole room laugh when you laughed you always found a way to make any situation positive RIH Smitty.’
The sad news was later confirmed by the Salisbury Post, who called him ‘the ultimate give-back guy’ who was a ‘generous donor to local schools and projects’.
When he was playing for Cleveland, Smith’s girlfriend Petara died in a tragic car accident
Smith is pictured walking off the field after a game with the Raiders in December 2020
Tributes from close friends and former teammates were made to Smith across social media
Smith was first drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fifth round in 2014, and went on to sign for the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers, Las Vegas Raiders, Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans, before dropping out of the league in 2021.
His attempt at a football comeback saw him sign for Seattle in the XFL in March, and he played five times for the team before his death.
MORE TO FOLLOW.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk