KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The family of former Mizzou and NFL star Aldon Smith have hired national civil rights attorneys as they search for answers in Smith’s death.
Smith died unexpectedly Saturday at the age of 36 after spending the day delivering pizzas to a homeless charity.
The Raytown High alumni and former Mizzou star has not had a cause of death determined yet.
The family hired national civil rights attorneys Harry Daniels, Bakari Sellers and Wayne Kendall. In a statement shared Tuesday, the family said the attorneys are investigating the potential role of CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) after Smith had several concussions throughout his football career.
“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,” the attorneys said in a statement released Tuesday. “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.”
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