Ex-49ers Player Hints at Foul Play in the Death of Aldon Smith

There could be more to the death of Aldon Smith than was initially reported.

On June 13 at noon, Smith was found unresponsive in the passenger seat of Amir Shirazi's truck. Shirazi told the San Francisco Chronicle later that day that Smith seemed fine just an hour before his death, and that he died when Shirazi was inside his house turning on lights. Shirazi speculated that Smith died of natural causes. Keep in mind, the toxicology report has not yet been released.

Former 49ers player and teammate of Aldon Smith, Donte Whitner, seems skeptical Shirazi's story. Here's what Whitner said Friday on his YouTube channel.

"Aldon's death was a tragedy," Whitner said. "He was our brother. He was an extremely, extremely talented football player. But moreso, he was a human being. And I'm just going to go right into it -- the day that Aldon died, I received text messages, phone calls, FaceTimes, from some of our ex-teammates. And some of the stuff I was was disgusting.

"I'm going to go ahead and say it -- C.J. Spillman called me, 6 a.m. Bali time, and he put me on FaceTime, and he was showing me pictures of Aldon slumped over in the front seat, Aldon lying on the ground in front of the vehicle that he was traveling in with all the stuff hooked up to his body, pretty much deceased.

"It's disgusting, because if you called me and we barely talk and it's circulating around, then it's more than just me who saw those videos and pictures. So, I saw that Aldon's family is hiring private investigators and lawyers to investigate what actually happened that day, and I hope that they listen to this so that they can understand and know who to contact.

"First and foremost, C.J. Spillman should have a lot of answers for you, and Anthony (Dixon) as well. (Dixon) was in the pictures looking over Aldon, so he probably didn't have anything to do with it. But whoever was there, they had something to do with it. And it broke my heart. I really didn't want to even speak on the subject, but I have to. I have to tell the truth. I have to say what I saw, because it's traumatizing. I had nightmares two nights in a row after seeing those videos and pictures."

Just listen. Rest in peace brother. @DonteWhitner@rodbrooksTVpic.twitter.com/a7X8VOvshL

- Grit Code Podcast (@thegritcode) June 19, 2026

The official version of Smith's death, according to Shirazi, is that the two of them spent the morning delivering pizzas to a homeless shelter, then ran errands, then they drove back to Shirazi's house, and Shirazi jumped out of the car to run inside and turn on lights, and Smith died unexpectedly when he was alone in the car.

Whitner clearly is skeptical of that story. He seems to believe that the people who were with Smith in that house were at least somewhat culpable in his death.

We'll see if the police agree.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/49ers/onsi as Ex-49ers Player Hints at Foul Play in the Death of Aldon Smith.

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This story was originally published June 20, 2026 at 8:17 AM.