“I Lost My Way Along the Way” – Dallas Cowboys’ DE Opens up on his Off-Field Issues

In the last four years, Dallas Cowboys player Aldon Smith has been trying to pick his life back together. Back in 2012, he got arrested for driving under the influence, and since then, he was in a downward spiral. However, as the saying goes, once you’ve hit rock bottom, the only direction you can go is up.

However, Smith revealed that one moment caused him to turn his life around for the better. During an indefinite suspension from the NFL for drug addiction, Smith lost his grandmother to the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis condition (ALS).

“She had ALS, and so she passed at an earlier age than she should have,” Smith said. “ALS, it takes away a lot of your body function, so she couldn’t speak.”

“The last time I seen her, she was able to get some words and get a message to me, and that was just ‘Do better,’. Basically, go out here and get what you deserve. And that stuck with me.”

The Dallas Cowboys defensive end took the advice to heart

After being arrested numerous times, Smith finally figured that enough was enough and he had to change himself. One year later, The Dallas Cowboys player is fully sober and worked harder than ever before. Clearly, the Cowboys noticed and the franchise signed him back at the beginning of April.

“I still feel great. I still feel young, I still can move well. I still have a great knowledge of the game, if not a better knowledge of the game,” he said.

“I learned a lot from the guys I played with in California, and they taught me a lot of good things. I know how to be a leader, I know how to win. Everything I’ve gone through and learned throughout life, I feel like I can be a source – people can talk to me about whatever they need. I’m just looking to be a help on the field and off the field.”