Falcons' Za’Darius Smith retired last season to be with mom before she died

Lexington, KY – January 31, 2015 – Former Kentucky Wildcats football player Za’Darius Smith, #94, was introduced during a game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Rupp Arena. Smith, drafted in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft, has had a successful career, earning three Pro Bowl selections and accumulating 70.5 career sacks.

After retiring from the Philadelphia Eagles last season, Smith signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons in the offseason. The surprising move came after Smith received a call from his mother’s doctor, informing him that his mother had a limited time left to live. In order to be with his mother during this difficult time, Smith had no choice but to retire from football.

Tragically, his mother passed away, followed by his father and grandmother, leaving him in a difficult emotional state. Despite this, Smith made the decision to return to playing football and joined the Atlanta Falcons, only a couple of hours away from his hometown of Montgomery, Alabama. In honor of his mother, Smith plans to transport members of his mother’s church to Atlanta games this season using two Greyhound buses.