Aldon Smith's family will donate former lineman's brain, have it checked for CTE

The family of former San Francisco 49ers All-Pro Aldon Smith will donate the lineman’s brain to science and have it checked for CTE, per ESPN.

Attorneys hired by Smith’s family confirmed the news, saying the nature of Smith’s death played a role in that decision, per ESPN.

“As with anyone who dies so suddenly at such a young age, we understand that there is a great deal of interest in and speculation about Aldon Smith’s passing and we intend to get to the bottom of it,” attorneys Harry Daniels, Bakari Sellers and Wayne Kendall said Tuesday in a statement. “To that end, we have taken a number of steps including sending his brain to Boston where medical experts will examine it for CTE as well as other damage caused by years of concussions and additional trauma.

“In the meantime, we simply ask you to keep Aldon’s family in our prayers and respect their privacy as they struggle to come to grips with this terrible loss.”

“As with anyone who dies so suddenly at such a young age, we understand that there is a great deal of interest in and speculation about Aldon Smith’s passing and we intend to get to the bottom of it,” attorneys Harry Daniels, Bakari Sellers and Wayne Kendall said Tuesday in a statement. “To that end, we have taken a number of steps including sending his brain to Boston where medical experts will examine it for CTE as well as other damage caused by years of concussions and additional trauma.

“In the meantime, we simply ask you to keep Aldon’s family in our prayers and respect their privacy as they struggle to come to grips with this terrible loss.”

Smith died Saturday, the 49ers announced. He was 36 years old. No cause of death was given.

Smith reportedly spent the hours prior to his death delivering pizzas to a charity for homeless individuals. He was found unresponsive in his truck and was declared dead hours later.

Smith’s NFL career started out promising, but was later defined by off-the-field issues. After being selected by the 49ers with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, Smith emerged as a potential future superstar, notching 33.5 sacks in his first two seasons in the league.

But Smith was arrested in 2013 for a DUI and eventually entered rehab during the season. That same year, he received a suspension from the NFL for violating the league’s substance-abuse and personal conduct policy. In 2014, he was arrested after an incident with the TSA at Los Angeles International Airport.

After a third DUI arrest in 2015, Smith was cut by the 49ers. He was suspended by the NFL again, though did not play for a team from 2016 through 2019. During that period, he was arrested for alleged domestic violence.

Smith made a comeback with the Dallas Cowboys in 2020 and turned in a modest season. He was set to play for the Seattle Seahawks the following year, but was released after yet another arrest.

A number of former NFL players have been diagnosed with CTE — chronic traumatic encephalopathy — following their deaths. The condition is a degenerative brain disease that appears in individuals exposed to repetitive head trauma, per ESPN.

It can cause mood swings, memory loss and severe personality changes, among may other symptoms. CTE can only be diagnosed after death.