Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh paid tribute to Aldon Smith after the former 49ers edge rusher died on June 13 at age 36, honoring a relationship that began with Smith being his No. 7 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.
Jim Harbaugh took the podium on Tuesday, June 16, and when the question landed on Aldon Smith’s death, the words came out plain and heavy.
“Just tragic,” Harbaugh said. “Aldon Smith was a great friend, great teammate, loved, much loved by all. I mean, there were times I thought he was hard on himself, but mostly always a wonderful person to others. Even reported right up until the time that he passed. So pray and pulling hard for Aldon to rest in peace.”.
Smith’s death has reverberated through the football world. but the tribute carried extra weight for Harbaugh because of how long the relationship had run. Smith was the first player Harbaugh drafted after he took over as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers in 2011. Smith, a former Missouri Tiger, went No. 7 overall in the 2011 NFL Draft and played for Harbaugh and the 49ers for the first four years of his career.
Smith died on Saturday, June 13, at age 36. One day earlier, he had been delivering pizzas to a homeless charity, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Harbaugh’s remarks also pointed back to Smith’s complicated journey through the league. Smith struggled with substance abuse issues during his NFL career. which led to an “indefinite” suspension starting in November 2015 until his reinstatement in 2020. He played his final season for the Dallas Cowboys in 2020.
In six NFL seasons, Smith recorded 52.5 sacks, 228 total tackles, 10 pass defenses, five forced fumbles and an interception. He was a first-team All-Pro outside linebacker in 2012.
The timeline—Hall-of-fame-level production in the middle of a career interrupted by a suspension. followed by a return that ended with the Cowboys in 2020—shows how much could still be written around Smith even after football. Now the focus has shifted to what Harbaugh called a friend and teammate. and to the short. startling span between community work and a death at 36.
Jim Harbaugh Aldon Smith San Francisco 49ers Los Angeles Chargers 2011 NFL Draft Missouri Tigers Dallas Cowboys NFL death substance abuse suspension 2012 first-team All-Pro
RIP Aldon Smith. 36 is way too young.
I remember him getting that suspension and thinking the league was never gonna let him back. But then he plays again?? Wild. Also the pizza thing… like why does that always sound like a random detail they pull out after someone passes.
Didn’t Harbaugh draft him like 7th overall but then like… didn’t the Cowboys trade him because he was “troubled”? Not sure. Either way, tragic is right. Also 6 seasons and 52 sacks sounds insane for someone who was supposedly done.
Reading this I’m just stuck on the “delivering pizzas to a homeless charity” part. Like ok so he was doing good stuff then suddenly dead? People always say it’s the substance abuse but I feel like they don’t ever explain enough. Harbaugh saying loved by all doesn’t fix anything either… just sad.