Za’Darius Smith is back in the NFL after retiring halfway through last season, and now we know why he stepped aside.
Smith, 33, signed with the Atlanta Falcons earlier this month and revealed in a news conference on Wednesday, August 26, that his short and unexpected retirement came due to his mother’s failing health.
“I said I wasn’t going to tell the story, but I’m going to tell it,” he said, before recounting the phone call he received from his mother’s doctor, “telling me that she don’t have much longer to be on this Earth.”
Smith was playing for the Philadelphia Eagles at the time, and had appeared in five games before getting the call, prompting him to step away from the league so he could cherish what time he had left with his mom.
“I let the team know. Obviously, they weren’t trying to let me leave, but that was the only thing I had left — to retire,” he said. “So, I retired.”
Unfortunately for Smith, his family struggles didn’t stop there.
“After losing my mom, I lost my grandma,” he revealed. “Then after my grandma, I just lost my dad, so y’all obviously know what I’ve been through.”
He continued, “This is my happy place, come back, play football. I was in a dark place, but you know, coming out, running out on the field, the fans — not just the fans, man, the joy that I get from winning and just getting sacks.”
Smith added that when he retired, he had 70 career sacks. Now, it’s his goal to hit an even 100.
When Smith decided he was ready to return to football, he first tried out for the Cleveland Browns, but the two sides were unable to agree on a contract. When the Falcons came calling, it just felt right for the defensive end.
“It’s close to home for me. I’m originally from Alabama. I’m just happy to be back,” he said. “My mom — rest her soul, man — she always wanted me to be in Atlanta with the Falcons.”
“You’ll know the reason why now,” Smith concluded, “because I haven’t been that happy in a long time.”
Smith’s arrival also gave him a chance to connect with Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, who is currently grieving the loss of his wife to cancer.
“I don’t know if he knew about mine or not, but he told me, and I said, ‘Coach, come here, man — just give me a hug because I know exactly what you’re going through, man,’” Smith said. “So that’s how we immediately connected.”
Smith and the Falcons will open the regular season on Sunday, September 13, when they travel to Pittsburgh to face Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers.
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