CLEVELAND — Chris Smith is dealing with an unimaginable loss that goes far beyond the results of a football game, but it was the sport that helped him find a sense of normalcy in the days following his girlfriend’s tragic passing in a car crash last week.
Despite being just five days removed from the accident that claimed Petara Cordero’s life, Smith suited up for the Monday Night Football game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey and registered on pass defended in a 23-3 Browns victory.
“It’s an emotional time for Chris, of course, still, but she would’ve wanted him to play, and he talked to me about it,” Browns coach Freddie Kitchens said following the win.
“He wanted to play. Chris is a part of this family and a part of this team, so we wanted him to do whatever he was comfortable doing. That’s what we wanted him to do, and we wanted to support him in every way.”
While processing his loss, Smith did not practice Thursday or Friday, but when the players and coaches gathered for a private workout at team headquarters on Saturday, he was on the field and was not alone.
“Chris coming back to practice and his family and Petara’s family being there last week, it was good to see him come back and be around us,” Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield said.
“Absolutely, we’re going to play for that guy. Chris is a great guy, always has a smile, ear to ear. That’s what he’s known for. He says, ‘Do what you love and love what you do.’ He’s our brother, so yeah, we’re going to play for him.”
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According to Cleveland police, Smith was driving a Lamborghini when he experienced a tire blow out and struck the center median wall near the W. 140th Street exit ramp at about 2 a.m. Both Smith and Cordero exited the vehicle to observe the damage.
Shortly after the tire blowout, a 47-year-old female drove a Mazda 3 into the Lamborghini’s open door while veering to the right and struck Cordero, who was standing on the shoulder. Cordero passed away at Fairview Hospital.
Currently, police are waiting on toxicology reports for the female driver of the Mazda 3. Smith was uninjured and was not impaired at the time of his crash.
Smith and Cordero have a one-month-old daughter, Haven Harris, who was born during the preseason.
“He gave us a little talk during our little defensive line meeting,” defensive end Myles Garrett said. “We were all standing up, and he was looking at us and said, ‘I know it’s a cliché and you hear it all the time, “Play like it’s your last time you’ll ever play, the last time you’ll ever see the field, the last time you ever do anything.’”
“He said, ‘I never really thought about it until now, until what happened a couple days ago, and I want you all to go out there and play with that mindset because you never know.’ That spoke to all of us, and it kind of stuck with me throughout the game.”