Aldon Smith Donated 10 Pizzas To A Homeless Charity In San Francisco On The Day He Died: Report
Hours before he was found unresponsive in a friend's truck in San Jose, Aldon Smith made an unannounced visit to a local charity with 10 pizzas. The man the NFL knew as a pass rusher spent his final hours feeding people who had nothing.
The details of Aldon Smith's final day emerged on Sunday through reporting by the San Francisco Chronicle, and they paint a picture that is difficult to sit with. A man who spent years being defined by everything that went wrong in his life spent the last hours of it doing something quietly generous for people with far less than he had.
Smith, who died on Saturday at 36, had spent part of the afternoon with Bay Area businessman Amir Shirazi, a friend. The two made an unannounced visit to CHAM Deliverance Ministry, a San Jose charity that feeds the homeless, dropping off 10 pizzas they had brought along as a surprise donation. Scott Wagers, the co-founder of the charity, was there when they arrived. "My impression was that this is a young man that wanted to help the homeless, which was great," Wagers told the Chronicle. "When the 49ers and people like that want to help the community, that's everything."
Wagers described Smith as looking tired and lethargic during the visit. It was the last time anyone at the charity would see him.
What Happened Afterwards
After making the delivery, Smith and Shirazi drove to Shirazi's home. Shirazi went inside for a few minutes. When he came back out, Smith was slumped over in the front seat of the truck, slightly twitching. Shirazi called 911 and performed CPR until emergency services arrived. Smith was taken to a hospital in San Jose, where he was declared dead less than an hour later. No cause of death has been confirmed.
"He was perfectly fine an hour before," Shirazi told the Chronicle. "I came out and he was basically dead in my front seat. I'm just in shock." Shirazi said he did not believe drugs were involved and had only seen Smith smoke marijuana occasionally. He believes the death was from natural causes.
The Person Behind the Headlines
Shirazi described Smith in terms that the NFL world rarely got to hear. "He was a very sweet, caring, loving giant. That if you really knew him, you'd know who he truly is." Smith had recently visited the 49ers' facility to speak to rookies, according to reports, continuing a pattern of trying to use his story as a warning to younger players. His last act, unannounced and unphotographed, was feeding people who had nowhere else to go.