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Terrion Arnold: Sometimes silence is best answer

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Former first-round pick explains growth as person, player ahead of third season

By CHRISTIAN BOOHER
Macomb Daily / Detroit Lions OnSI

PUBLISHED: June 18, 2026 at 8:12 AM EDT

ARTICLE LINK

Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold has been through ups and downs early in his NFL career.

Ahead of his third NFL season, Arnold is currently rehabbing a shoulder injury that ended his season after eight games in 2025. Additionally, he had to endure some offseason drama when a court order linked him to a legal incident in Florida.

Arnold was never charged with a wrongdoing or involvement, but his name was mentioned in the order and subsequent reports to link him to it.

Following the final mandatory minicamp practice of offseason workouts, Arnold discussed some of the growth he’s had as a person throughout the early stages of his NFL career.

“I feel like I’ve grown as a person because when you have to sit back and just look at everything and be quiet, sometimes silence is the best answer to everything,” Arnold said. “It’s growth as far as being a man, and growth as a player.”

Arnold can be confident and out-spoken at times, but he feels that he has learned when and where to speak his mind and when to hold back.

“With me, it’s a time and a place. I’m confident. I’m never gonna hold my tongue for nobody, it’s a time and a place,” Arnold explained. “As far as us athletes starting to speak up, it’s always a time and a place and a situation for everything. Some things are better to address, some things are better left unsaid.”

Arnold did not comment on the incident in Florida when asked, stating, “I just want to focus on football.”

With controversy surrounding acquaintances of his, Arnold has dealt with some criticism about his inner circle.

“No. I’m a home guy. I hang around my family and stuff like that,” Arnold said. “As far as things like that, I feel like when certain things happen in life, it’s best to remain silent. You speak on stuff if you want to speak on it, but at the end of the day silence is the best answer sometimes.”

When asked about the comfort level with his inner circle, Arnold replied, “Yeah, I’ve got my granddad. I’ve got God. I’ve got my family.”

Throughout the challenges of dealing with his name being linked to that, the Lions’ support of him never wavered with both Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes backing him. Arnold expressed his appreciation for that support.

“Having everybody in the building’s support, and knowing you have a coach that will go to bat for you, it means everything,” Arnold said. “When I came here and I got drafted, Brad said, ‘When you come here, this is a family.’ This is the building and the type of place you want to be in. A lot of people preach that, but this place feels like home.”

Earning a spot

Arnold hopes to be a big contributor for the Lions’ defense in his third NFL season. After some struggles with penalties in his rookie year, Arnold seemed to be playing much more comfortable before suffering a season-ending injury.

He acknowledged this Wednesday, noting that he felt as though he was playing his best before the injury. Through an understanding of the scheme and communication, he hopes to be an even better player and leader in 2026.

“Year three, I feel like before I got hurt I started playing my best ball as far as getting comfortable,” Arnold said. “With me, I started to get comfortable last year. My injury, that’s something that I was dealing with rookie year, last year, so being able to be out there, stay healthy and be the best teammate I can be. That’s what I’m looking forward to, going out there, being a leader, making sure I overcommunicate and really knowing my teammates, understanding my teammates.”

Though he has been non-contact throughout offseason workouts while rehabbing his injury, Arnold has made a solid impression on the coaching staff.

The cornerback gave a health update Wednesday, noting that he is between 75 and 80 percent with the goal of being 100 percent for training camp.

Cornerbacks coach Deshea Townsend noted that the Alabama product has been solid in his mental work as well as his preparation and on-field opportunities when he’s got them up to this point.

“TA, the mindset is good. The mentality, he’s ready to get out there and play. He’s been working at it,” Townsend said. “He’s been doing a lot of things off the field mentally to help him to get prepared, especially because he’s not able to do everything on the field with all the group. He’s been doing what’s been asked, and he’s been doing it at a high level.”

The Lions have emphasized competition throughout Dan Campbell’s tenure, and the 2026 season is no different. Even though Arnold is widely expected to earn a starting job, Campbell noted that the young cornerback will once again have to prove himself and earn a job.

“The most important thing for him is just making sure that he’s healthy, that’s step one, the rehab, which he’s done a good job with,” Campbell said. “He’s getting better. We feel good about where he’s at in that regard, but that’s the most important thing, because he’s not full speed right now. He’s non-contact, he’s moving pretty good, all that stuff.

“But just make sure that you stay on top of that, you’re ready to go for training camp. And then, it’s on. It’s just about competing, you know. We got a lot of good guys in that room, and he knows this. He’s got to go earn it.”

Campbell and Arnold were observed having a conversation following practice Wednesday.

“We were just talking about a step in my game,” Arnold told Lions OnSI. “And me continuing to improve on the little details.”

This article was produced by the staff at Detroit Lions On SI. For more, visit si.com/nfl/lions/onsi

Aldon Smith’s final hours: Ex-49er’s friend details effort to save him

Matthias Gafni and Noah Furtado • San Francisco Chronicle • Jun 13, 2026

Amir Shirazi walked out of his Los Gatos house Saturday morning and found his massive friend Aldon Smith, a former first-team All-Pro linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers,slumped over in the front passenger seat of his white Chevy pickup.

He thought Smith was asleep, his mouth open, his 6-foot-4 frame slightly twitching. Shirazi said he quickly knew something was wrong. He thought it was possibly a seizure, and then maybe a massive heart attack.

Shortly before noon, Shirazi told the Chronicle in an exclusive interview, he called 911 and summoned former 49ers running back Anthony Dixon to the scene to assist him in CPR.

Less than an hour later, Smith would be declared dead at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose. His cause and manner of death are pending, according to Santa Clara County’s chief medical examiner. He was 36 years old.

Smith’s death marked a tragic end to a life and football career full of highs and lows. On his final day, after recently returning to the Bay Area, Smith helped deliver pizzas to a homeless charity. But his friend said he was financially struggling, bouncing around friends’ homes and waiting for his NFL pension to kick in.

He would not get that chance.

Smith was drafted by the 49ers with the No. 7 overall pick in 2011 and quickly emerged as a premier pass rusher with 14 sacks as Rookie of the Year runner-up. He then posted 19.5 sacks — still the 49ers’ single-season franchise record — in 2012 and earned first-team All-Pro honors along with a Pro Bowl nod. He appeared on track for stardom as one of the best young players in the league.

Over the next nine years, Smith was arrested 10 times. Substance abuse was a common thread.

Multiple suspensions kept him sidelined for four-plus years before the NFL reinstated him in 2020. Smith recorded five sacks during that season, his last in the league, with the Dallas Cowboys.

He previously lived in Texas, but returned to the Bay Area recently as he struggled financially, Shirazi said.

“His only problem, and it’s true with a lot of athletes, is he made a lot of money and they lose control of themselves,” he said. “You give a bunch of guys in their 20s a lot of money and they lose it.”

According to a league source, Smith as recently as last week stopped by Levi’s Stadium to talk to the 49ers’ newest rookies, who tend to stick around for a week or two after the end of organized team activities for training and development.

Shirazi, a 48-year-old businessman, said he befriended former 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis during his playing days, and soon became close with a number of 49ers from around 2010-15, including running back Frank Gore and Smith. Shirazi has kept in touch with many after their playing days ended.

On Saturday, Shirazi picked up Smith and the pair delivered 10 Little Caesars pizzas to Scott Wagers, the co-founder of CHAM Deliverance Ministry, a local charity that feeds the homeless.

Wagers, who had never met Smith, had no idea the former NFL star would be there and was excited. Smith wore a throwback New York Knicks jersey (Willis Reed’s No. 19), blue shorts and a pair of Air Jordan shoes, posing for a few photos for Wagers.

But Wagers sensed something may have been off that morning, he told the Chronicle.

“He got out of the car and he looked maybe kind of tired,” Wagers said, “but he’s a giant man. I’m like, ‘Hey man, are you good? Are you good?’ and I said, ‘Can I take some pictures?’ So we took some pictures, we got the pizzas with my team, and we went and took all the pizza out there.”

Despite Smith's “lethargic” look, Wagers was grateful.

“My impression was that this is a young man that wanted to help the homeless, which was great,” Wagers said. “When the 49ers and people like that want to help the community, that’s everything.”

The pair left and Shirazi drove them to a grocery store, his gas station Moe’s Stop in San Jose and then his house in Los Gatos.

“We were joking about life and talking about stuff right before,” Shirazi said of the drive.

At the house, Shirazi ran inside to turn on some lights and returned to his pickup to find Smith slumped over.

“He was perfectly fine an hour before,” Shirazi said.

“I came out and he was basically dead in my front seat,” he said. “I’m just in shock.”

Paramedics took Smith to Good Samaritan Hospital where he was declared dead at 12:46 p.m., according to Michelle Jorden, the county’s chief medical examiner.

“The Office of the Medical Examiner is confirming the death of 36-year-old Aldon Jacarus Ramon Smith, who died today June 13, 2026,” Jorden wrote in a statement. “The Medical Examiner is investigating his death, and no further information is available at this time. The cause and manner of death are pending.”

A toxicology exam could take weeks or months.

Despite Smith’s past history of substance abuse, Shirazi said he thought it was a “natural death.”

He had not seen Smith use drugs Saturday and had only seen him smoking marijuana occasionally over the years. Shirazi said he thought it might have been a massive heart attack.

“He was a very sweet, caring, loving giant,” Shirazi said. “That if you really knew him, you’d know who he truly is.”

Word of Smith's death spread fast in the South Bay, the 49ers headquarters only a 15-mile drive away from the hospital.

“We are devastated by the sudden and tragic passing of Aldon Smith,” the 49ers wrote in a statement. “Aldon’s undeniable talent and sheer dominance on the field were on display from the moment he joined our organization, having recorded one of the best rookie seasons the National Football League has seen. Beyond his excellence as a player, Aldon will be remembered for his infectious smile that lit up every room he walked into. Our entire organization sends its deepest condolences to the Smith family and all who knew and loved Aldon.”

Smith’s troubles often came linked to alcohol.

Smith was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in January 2012; the charge was later reduced to reckless driving. He was then charged that same year with three felony counts of illegal possession of an assault weapon at a June party, where he suffered stab wounds, shots were fired, and multiple others were injured; those charges were later reduced to misdemeanors.

Smith was arrested again on suspicion of DUI and possession of marijuana in September 2013, subsequently volunteering to enter a rehabilitation facility and missing five games that season.

The NFL also suspended Smith for the first nine games of the 2014 season for violating the league’s substance-abuse and personal-conduct policies, which tied back to the 2013 arrest.

The 49ers released Smith in August 2015 a day after he was arrested on charges that included an alleged hit and run, DUI and vandalism. The Oakland Raiders signed him a month later and he played nine games, only for NFL suspensions to sideline him for the next seven games, and four seasons thereafter, amid mounting legal troubles.

In March 2018, the Raiders released Smith without explanation; a couple days later, he turned himself in and was booked on domestic-violence charges.

The NFL conditionally reinstated him in 2020. After a season with the Dallas Cowboys, he signed with the Seahawks in 2021 but soon after was arrested on a second-degree battery charge. Seattle released him that August, and he was sentenced to a year in jail in April 2023.

At age 36 and financially in dire straits, Smith was still almost two decades away from drawing a NFL pension.

Still, on Saturday, he planned to watch the Knicks in the NBA Finals that night with his friend. He would die in his jersey.

Staff writer Sara DiNatale contributed to this report.

Link: https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/49ers/article/aldon-smith-49ers-talented-troubled-ex-pass-22304314.php

Luckily my key fob has a feature where it opens the windows lol

She doesn’t look like much; but this pork missile blew my doors off after the front 9 today.

Middle of the day yesterday (Thursday), it was 47°F with a wind chill of 41°F. It’s currently 43°F with a wind chill of 40°F. (Yes, I have the heat on.)

Monday afternoon, it’s supposed to get up to 89°F …and I’m sure the heat index will make it feel hotter than that.

EDITED TO ADD: Just in case anyone was wondering, the playlist at the McDonald’s on West Liberty Avenue this early morning is Linkin Park and other assorted nu metal.

SMITH: Alabama, Alaska, Alberta, Arizona, Arkansas, British Columbia, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Saskatchewan, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming, Yukon

JOHNSON: Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin

GARCIA: California, Texas

MACDONALD: Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island

FRIESEN: Manitoba

LEBLANC: New Brunswick

LEE: Hawaii

MARTINEZ: New Mexico

POWER: Newfoundland and Labrador

TREMBLAY: Quebec

WILLIAMS: Louisiana

(From Rohit Maps on Facebook.)